Monday, September 19, 2011

Dark clouds over Yalta

'Kommersant' newspaper, not known for sensationalist reporting, runs a story today with this heading and first paragraph:

Europe indignant about the [Tymoshenko] case

EU makes future of [relations with] Ukraine dependent on the future of Yulia Tymoshenko.

The annual Yalta European Strategy conference took place in Yalta on 16-17th September. Its main events were talks between President Viktor Yanukovych and European policy-makers concerning the prosecution of ex-premier, leader of the "Fatherland" party, Yulia Tymoshenko.

It is believed in Brussels that Kyiv will agree to a complete rehabilitation of Ms Tymoshenko. However, the EU is preparing a "plan B" whereby the the process of rapprochement with Ukraine could be completely halted.

So, it's getting serious..

Yanukovych tried to 'vybrekhatysya' [lie his way out], but failed...

p.s. Two of the guests at the YES conference were Andriy Kluyev, first vice prime minister of Ukraine responsible for economic development and trade, and Stefan Fule, European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy.

Kluyev and his younger brother Serhiy are very wealthy businessmen - they own two executive jets. Nevertheless, Andriy chose to fly to Crimea to attend the YES conference in a specially chartered aircraft paid for by the government [at an estimated cost for the return trip of up to $20k]

Fule flew economy class on the Frankfurt-Simferopol flight..

Former interior minister Yuriy Lutsenko has been imprisoned since last December in connection with charges alleging he overpaid his driver by a few thousand dollars..

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