YALTA, Ukraine — Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovych has promised the European Union that the way the Oct. 28 parliamentary election is conducted will allay all its concerns about democracy in the ex-Soviet.
The EU has put on hold a key cooperation deal with Ukraine over the jailing of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, which it condemns as politically motivated.
Yanukovych told a conference devoted to Ukraine’s integration with the West Friday that he is convinced that his nation will soon complete the stalled association process with the EU.
Tymoshenko, the country’s top opposition leader, has been sentenced to seven years in prison on charges of abuse of office while leading natural gas import negotiations with Russia in 2009. She accuses Yanukovych of throwing her in jail to bar her from the election.
