EU Envoys In Kyiv For Tymoshenko Talks

EU envoys Aleksander Kwasniewski (left) and Pat Cox are in Kyiv for another round of talks on the fate of jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. (file photo)

KYIV -- EU mediators are back in Kyiv in a new bid to secure the release of jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko ahead of a November 28-29 EU summit in Vilnius.

Irish politician Pat Cox and former Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski are expected to meet with government officials and also visit Tymoshenko in a hospital in Kharkiv. Media reports say Cox and Kwasniewski may also attend a session of parliament on November 7, when lawmakers are scheduled to discuss bills that would allow Tymoshenko to travel to Germany for treatment of a back ailment.

Tymoshenko was jailed in 2011 for seven years on charges of abuse of office that were widely seen as politically motivated.

EU officials have warned time is running out to resolve her case if Ukraine is to sign an association and free-trade agreement with the European Union at the Vilnius summit.

With reporting by UNIAN