Kostyantyn Gryshchenko, Ukraine’s foreign minister, clearly has his work cut out
for him. The conviction of former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko by a Pechersk court to a seven year prison sentence has been seen, almost universally, as a piece of bully-boy politics, which will
set back Ukraine’s links with the EU. NATO has made clear it is “disappointed” by the sentence handed down while several European foreign ministers, including Foreign Secretary
William Hague, have expressed their concern. I fielded these questions to Ukraine’s foreign minister via email.
Daniel Korski: The conviction of Yulia Tymoshenko is clearly a foreign policy mess for Ukraine, giving that it will most likely set back EU-Ukraine relations. There is even talk of cancelling President Viktor Yanukovych’s visit to Brussels later in the month and some have suggested boycotting the European Championship final in Kiev. How do you get out of this mess?
Kostyantyn Gryshchenko: Firstly, the verdict is a matter for the courts.
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