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Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, right, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, react during a welcome in Kyiv on July 10. Tymoshenko and Tusk met to discuss preparation for the Euro 2012 soccer championship matches in Poland and Ukraine. Ukrainian and Polish Prime Ministers Yulia Tymoshenko and Donald Tusk have confirmed the need to retain a parity principle during the finals of the Euro 2012 European Football Championship.

"I think that our task, the task of the Ukrainian and Polish sides, and state employees from the two countries, is not only to support our cities, but also make statements favoring this [4x4] format in UEFA," Tusk said at a meeting of the intergovernmental commission on Euro 2012 preparations in Kyiv on Friday.

"Poland thinks that the retention of the 4x4 format [of Euro 2012 host cities] is not only a question of unity, but also of the obvious interests of the two countries," he said.

Tymoshenko, in turn, also stressed the need to retain the parity principle and the format of hosting the championship as initially planned.

"Euro 2012 is a joint Ukrainian-Polish project, with four Ukrainian and four Polish host cities. The championship is to be opened in Poland, while the final match is to be held in Kyiv... We have stuck to the 4x4 format and are continuing to support it," she said.