EU invites Yanukovych to visit Brussels in November

The European Union has invited Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych to visit Brussels in the middle of November, Ukrainian-based Zerkalo Nedeli said, quoting EU sources. However, the Ukrainian office of the European Commission did not confirm the report, reiterating that Yanukovych’s visit to Brussels scheduled for October 20 has been postponed until Ukraine solves its political problems. Ukrainian president was due to arrive in Brussels to meet with European Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso and European Council chief Herman Van Rompuy on Thursday to discuss outstanding details of an association agreement. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry neither confirmed nor denied the information about Yanukovych’s November visit to Brussels. Tension between Ukraine and the EU has increased since Yanukovych’s political rival Yulia Tymoshenko received a seven-year prison sentence on charges of abuse of office on October 11. The verdict has drawn worldwide condemnation. The EU and the United States have described the trial as politically motivated and Moscow said it had a “clear anti-Russian subtext.”