Ukraine's leading English-language newspaper since 1995

President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek has said he hopes that fair elections will be held in Ukraine and added that the European Parliament will send its observers President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek has said he hopes that fair elections will be held in Ukraine and added that the European Parliament will send its observers

."We hope that fair and honest elections will be held in Ukraine, as in the third round [of the presidential elections held in 2004]," he said at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko in Brussels on Thursday.

Buzek also said that the European Parliament is planning to send its observers to Ukraine to monitor the upcoming presidential elections in the country.

"We received a request from the Central Election Commission for the participation of our observers, and we're sending them," he said.

He also expressed hope that the situation with the halt in gas supplies to Europe would not happen this winter again.

"We hope that last winter's adventures won't happen again," Buzek said.

He said that the European Union supports the upcoming economic reforms in Ukraine and is waiting for them to happen.

"Ukraine needs a strong democratic Europe and Europe also needs a strong democratic Ukraine," he said.

Yushchenko, in turn, said that Ukraine is working with the European Parliament and the European Commission on the implementation of their bilateral roadmap, and its first stage is the holding of the Ukraine-EU summit in Kyiv in December 2009.

He said that it’s currently important for Ukraine to secure democratic changes in political life, conduct economic reforms and develop effective relations with its European partners.