Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich said the European Union should stop meddling in the fate of his rival, former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, and that her imprisonment should not hinder Kiev's integration with Europe, Reuters reported. Pouring scorn on the woman who helped engineer the 2004-5 Orange Revolution that thwarted his first bid at the presidency, Yanukovich said she was part of a ring of criminals and that her fate should lie in the hands of Ukrainian judges. Tymoshenko's jailing symbolised what Brussels has called Kiev's use of selective justice and Yanukovich's comments effectively dismissed the EU's intense diplomatic efforts, in which he has participated, to secure her release. Yanukovich has promised to attend an EU summit this week despite his sudden decision to walk away from a landmark deal with the bloc. His trip to the summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius may be an attempt to soothe domestic outrage that has sparked pro-EU demonstrations. Or he may be signalling a willingness to focus on Ukraine's economic ties with the EU without making any political commitments. But his comments over Tymoshenko are sure to cause tension with EU leaders in Vilnius - most likely at a dinner on Thursday, particularly with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. -- SPA 20:36 LOCAL TIME 17:36 GMT تغريد
