You're reading: Tymoshenko blames Yushchenko for obstructing government’s fight against crisis

Ukraine's Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has blamed President Viktor Yuschenko for obstructing the government-proposed anti-crisis measures and efforts to form a broad coalition to battle the crisis.

“The president is using flashy words today to deprive the nation, first of all its government, of the opportunity to counter the crisis, and to leave the nation without a government it logically needs,” Tymoshenko said at a news conference in Kyiv on Tuesday in remarks about the president’s criticism of her moves.

The president “has been living and working to the country’s detriment,” she said.

“This is not only my personal opinion, I think. I think almost all citizens share it,” the prime minister said.

“Viktor Yushchenko has no right to any criticism. He is the incumbent president. He only has the right to work and to serve Ukraine. He will have the right to criticize when he joins the opposition. Now he must work and answer for his moves,” she said.

Concerning the talks between the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc and the Party of Regions on the formation of a coalition and on constitutional amendments, the prime minister said, “We would carry the job through to the end, if the president did not initiate a hysteria and if he did not make statements about what he is not informed of, or has not the slightest idea of. It’s too sad everything that was being built with so much difficulty has fallen apart due to the dirty campaign staged by high-placed officials,” she said.