Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has warned of the “grave consequences” for global peace and security if Ukraine is not protected from Russian occupation in Crimea.
Listen below to the full World in Motion interview with Yulia Tymoshenko
Ms. Tymoshenko - released 2 weeks ago from prison on charges that are widely accepted to have been politically motivated –strenuously cautioned EU and US leaders about any further escalation of Russian aggression.
“In the last few days I’ve had many high level meetings with the EU and US leaders”, it has “become clear” that “a conflict in Crimea does not only have a local importance this conflict endangers EU stability and as a consequence global and peace stability”.
The most prominent member of the ‘Batkivshchyna party’ – the party of the interim government, Tymoshenko predicts that “Ukrainians will not come to terms with the annexation of Crimea; their reaction to such aggression is that they will fight”.
“This could also create another hot point in the world map and may have very grave consequences”
“The whole world saw the heroism and determination of the Ukrainian nation; the men, women and children to unite against Russian aggression; it was clear during Maidan: people showed their moral force and determination to protect their country” she reiterated.
A referendum is due to take place in Crimea on March 16th which may result in the largely Russian speaking peninsula seceding from Kiev to the Kremlin, but Tymoshenko is adamant that no such event should take place nor considered legitimate.
“We cannot even allow a thought that such a referendum could be allowed”
“I strongly demanded of the leaders today - first of all those of the Budapest memorandum – and our strategic partners in the European Union to make everything possible to make sure this referendum is stopped”.
Ms Tymoshenko is also unconvinced that recent US sanctions imposed on the Russian state as well as prominent Russian businessmen will succeed in achieving any of their intended political objectives, such as the removal of effective Russian control in Crimea.
Russia’s recent decision to cut ties with Ukraine’s interim government “shows that all the diplomatic efforts that were applied by the US – EU leadership so far didn’t (sic) lead to results” said the former leader of Ukraine’s Orange Revolution.
It has become “obvious only very strong measures politically and economically should be used to stop the aggression” she reiterated.
Ukraine has close ties with NATO and during a press conference in Dublin her political ally Vitaly Klitschko stated the party’s intention to lead Ukraine to full EU and NATO membership.
NATO membership would allow Ukraine to invoke article 5 of the NATO Charter which states that an armed attack against one member is “considered an armed attack against them all” and therefore trigger defensive or offensive measures in order to restore peace and security.
During his time as President, Victor Yanucvych pulled back from NATO relations, remaining non-aligned on account of pressure from the Kremlin.
Yulia Tymoshenko did not rule NATO membership out but recounted that “from the time of Ukrainian independence there was only a small minority of Ukrainian people who supported NATO membership, which is why Ukraine could not have an “effective result” if a referendum on membership was to take place”.
However, “today, the situation has changed drastically, Ukrainian people more and more realise that their only protection from such aggression could be the participations in world security organisations” she asserted.
While in prison Ms Tymoshenko successfully applied to the European Court of Human Rights over a number of breaches in relation to arbitrary pre-trial detention, unlawful deprivation of liberty and she vows to fight to “confirm that me and others were the victims of this regime as political prisoners”.
She has a case pending in relation to the trial in Ukraine in October 2011 which resulted in a 7-year sentence for ‘abuse of power’ during her tenure as Prime Minister. The charges related to a deal she concluded with Russian state energy, ‘Gazprom’.
“We are almost finished the communication with the European Court and we are convinced now -especially after the world saw what the bloody regime of Yanukovych was capable of – that justice will be done in my case and also in the cases of other political prisoners.
Ms. Tymoshenko was nicknamed the ‘Oil Princess’ due to her family fortunes and business dealings in the oil industry.
While in prison she was refused adequate medical treatment for a pre-existing back illness and has been offered specialist assistance in Germany which she was due to begin after her trip to Dublin.
Image: Yulia Tymoshenko and World in Motion's Shona Murray in Dublin this week
