Doctor: Tymoshenko feeling better, but cannot walk unaided

Kharkiv - Doctor Annette Reischauer of the Charite Clinic in Berlin, said signs of improvement are seen in Ukrainian ex-prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko's condition, but she cannot yet walk unaided.

"Progress can be seen, but the patient still cannot move without a walking frame," she told reporters outside Clinic No.5 in Kharkiv.

The German doctor also said that a new therapy has been devised for Tymoshenko jointly with Ukrainian colleagues.

Concerning the duration of the medical treatment, she said, "If you mean the general plan of therapy, its duration cannot be defined. As my colleagues earlier said during their visits here, the patient must undergo medical treatment in calm state, without strain," she said.

She said the schedule of therapeutic procedures was observed during her absence, but "it is difficult to say whether the recommendation concerning the patient's calm state was fulfilled."

Tymoshenko should not give up seeing her relatives, she said. "This is important for her recovery," the doctor said.

Tymoshenko, jailed for seven years, has been held at a clinic in Kharkiv since May 9.