On hold

The European Union on Tuesday postponed a key meeting with Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych after signs that the country's imprisoned opposition leader and former prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko, would not be released soon.

European Commission spokeswoman Karolina Kottova said the meeting "has indeed been postponed to a later occasion when the conditions will be more conducive to making progress on bilateral relations between EU and Ukraine."

Yanukovych had been scheduled to meet European Commission officials in Brussels on Thursday to discuss a free trade deal and sign an agreement pledging closer cooperation with the EU. The EU's postponement of the signing was highly unusual, especially as it came at such short notice.

Yanukovych told reporters after meeting with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev that Ukraine was still open to signing the deal if the EU would allow it.

"Everything depends on the progress we achieve in the immediate future," he said. "We will always meet with the EU as partners - with members of the European Commission when there is a need, and on a bilateral level."

'Selective use of justice'

The bloc has been sharply critical of Ukraine's trial of Tymoshenko, who was convicted of abusing her office in the signing of a natural gas import contract with Russia and sentenced to seven years in prison. She has said the trial was a politically motivated attempt to silence the opposition.

"We do not believe that this trial was conducted with the respect of international standards, in regards to a fair, independent and transparent legal process," said Maja Kocijancic, spokeswoman for the EU's foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton. "It showcased a selective use of justice and politically motivated trials - because it's not just the Tymoshenko case, it goes much broader than that."

Up until Monday night, observers were confident that Yanukovych would back a legal amendment that would bring about Tymoshenko's early release. But his failure to commit to such an amendment appears to have angered the EU.

Influence Ukraine from afar?

Although Tymoshenko's arrest and trial have triggered an international outcry, not everyone agrees that Ukraine should now be held at arm's length. Marek Siwiec, a Polish member of the European Parliament, said the postponement was "definitely bad news."

"As long as we don't continue dialogue on high level, there's no hope to get a breakthrough," he said. "We are blowing up this case because of an individual - though important - development in the situation of Yulia Timoshenko."

Guy Verhofstad, head of the liberal group at the European Parliament, has been among the most vocal critics of the current government in Ukraine. However he said locking the country into a deal with the EU is the only way forward.

"A good free trade and association agreement are the basis for more balanced political and economic developments in Ukraine, and also a guarantee of the rule of law and a guarantee for future reforms," he said.

Author: Vanessa Mock, Brussels / acb
Editor: Mark Hallam