Ukraine seeks better ties with EU, Yanukovych says

Mr Yanukovych is seen as closer to Russia than his predecessor Viktor Yushchenko was - yet his first foreign visit as head of state is to Brussels.

"European integration is a key priority," he said after talks with EU leaders on Monday.

Mr Yanukovych said the talks focused on a planned association deal with the EU that would allow free trade.

His defeated rival, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, now faces a vote of no-confidence on Wednesday in the Ukrainian parliament.

She was an Orange Revolution ally of Mr Yushchenko, the former president whose pro-Western stance, including the ambition to join the EU and Nato, angered Moscow.

Mr Yanukovych pledged to "enhance" relations with Russia to ensure reliable deliveries of Russian gas to the EU via Ukraine. A dispute with Russia over gas prices disrupted supplies to the EU in January 2009.

The BBC's James Rodgers - a former Moscow correspondent - says Russia sees in Mr Yanukovych a friendlier partner than Mr Yushchenko, but its reaction to his victory has been quiet, not triumphalist.

Ukraine's foreign policy is no longer a simple question of East or West, our correspondent says. Europe also wants Ukraine and Russia to get on well.

Mr Yanukovych, who was sworn in as president last week, will head to Moscow on Friday.

Reviving the struggling Ukrainian economy is another big challenge that lies ahead of him.

The International Monetary Fund has suspended part of a $16.4bn (£10.8bn) loan for Ukraine, demanding that the government implement economic reforms.

Source:bbc:co.uk

Ukraine leader considers post-election trip to EU capital

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Ukraine's president-elect, Viktor Yanukovych, is considering going to Brussels for his first foreign trip as the country's leader in a bid to polish up his EU credentials.

Anna German, Mr Yanukovych's spokeswoman, told EUobserver on Monday (15 February) that the move is "possible," with invitations already received from both Brussels and Moscow, but that a final decision has not yet been made.


Mr Yanukovych at the EU headquarters in Brussels in 2006, during his visit as Ukraine's prime minister (Photo: European Commission)
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The country's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, is to set a date for Mr Yanukovych's inauguration on Tuesday, clearing the way for foreign engagements.

Senior officials in Ukraine's foreign ministry are keen for the president-elect to demonstrate that he is serious about EU integration amid fears in the EU institutions that he will put Russian interests before pro-EU reforms.

In protocol terms, any new leader's choice of first diplomatic encounter is seen as an indicator of foreign policy priorities.

"It would be logical for the newly-elected president of Ukraine to first visit Brussels," Ukraine's deputy foreign minister, Konstantin Yeliseyev, said.

"We hope that Brussels will support the idea and for the first visit to have some deliverables on topics of mutual interest, in particular on visa issues. We are very interested in obtaining the roadmap for a visa-free regime," he added.

Ukraine has for the past two years grumbled that EU consulates in Kiev give harsh treatment to people keen to visit the bloc, spoiling popular support for integration.

For its part, the EU is concerned whether Kiev will stick to recent promises to modernise its gas distribution system, which is responsible for channeling 80 percent of Russian supplies to the bloc.

A series of new laws related to Ukraine's membership in the European Energy Community (EEC) is currently awaiting parliamentary approval.

But Mr Yanukoyvch's comments over the weekend, that he would like to see a Russian-led consortium run the country's pipeline network, have cast doubt over his attachment to the EEC reforms.

"All previous commitments undertaken with respect to the EU will not only be respected but also implemented. We are a responsible partner and we would like to show that despite the election, all our commitments will be respected," Mr Yeliseyev told this website.

Source:euobserver.com/