The next hearing of Pechersky District Court of Kyiv on the case against former Ukrainian Premier and Leader of the Batkivschyna Party Yulia Tymoshenko will start at 11.00 on July 26.
Judge Rodion Kireyev announced the decision after again asking Tymoshenko if she was ready to testify in court.
The ex-premier demanded that the defense be given time to study the case files and prepare for cross-interrogation in court.
"Defendant, are you refusing to give testimony?" Kireyev asked her.
"I am not refusing," she said. Tymoshenko then asked the court to grant the defense an opportunity to prepare for the next stage of the proceedings.
"The defendant has refused. The court has ruled to change the procedure for studying the evidence in the case," the judge said.
Under the ruling, witnesses will be cross-interrogated and written evidence studied.
Earlier, judge Kireyev upheld the prosecution’s proposal to cross-interrogate the defendant.
