The United States welcomed Saturday the release of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, saying it will de-escalate violence. The White House said in a statement today that the next step must be the formation of technocratic, national unity government. They stressed that the most important principle to guide the future events should be “that the people of Ukraine determine their own future.” “The Ukrainian people should know that the United States deeply values its long-standing ties with Ukraine and will support them as they pursue a path of democracy and economic development, the statement concluded.”