Tymoshenko verdict harms EU-Ukraine ties: Dutch FM

Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal on Wednesday condemned the jailing of former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, saying the verdict could harm EU-Ukraine ties. "This could harm the cooperation between the European Union and Ukraine," Rosenthal declared on Wednesday, "I will speak with my EU colleagues on this matter at short notice." A Ukrainian court Tuesday sentenced Tymoshenko to seven years in prison after convicting her of abuse of power for signing a 2009 gas deal with Russia. Judge Rodion Kireev said that Tymoshenko, by signing an overpriced 10-year gas-import deal with Russia in 2009, caused Ukraine to lose 190 million U.S. dollars. The former Ukrainian prime minister was ordered to repay 147 million euro for the losses According to the judge, Tymoshenko can appeal the sentence in the country's Court of Appeals within 15 days. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Tuesday said the 27-member union was "deeply disappointed" with the verdict. "The verdict comes after a trial which did not respect the international standards as regards fair, transparent and independent legal process," Ashton said in a statement. Tymoshenko was the central figure in the 2004 mass protests, or the so-called Orange Revolution, during which current President Viktor Yanukovich had to give up the post of president.