German vice-chancellor urges Kyiv to urgently resolve problem of Tymoshenko

German Vice-Chancellor and Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has said that Ukraine should urgently find an acceptable solution to the case of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko in order to sign its association agreement with the European Union.

"We want Ukraine to be oriented towards Europe and fulfill the necessary conditions for this," he said in Brussels on Monday upon arrival for a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council.

"First and foremost, it's the rule of law, and the Tymoshenko case has a special meaning," Westerwelle said, adding that "the Ukrainians urgently need to find an acceptable way out" and thus "not to play with time."

"Time is passing and expiring, and everyone in Ukraine should understand this," he said.

Westerwelle expressed hope that the discussion currently ongoing in the Ukrainian parliament and government would give a positive result.

"We've already said that Germany could ensure the treatment of Yulia Tymoshenko. I have visited Ukraine in the last two weeks to personally confirm that to President Viktor Yanukovych. This promise is still valid," he said.

He said that the decision on Tymoshenko's "special case" would be a "good bridge" for Kyiv on its road towards the rule of law, which is a general principle for a united Europe.

"Everyone in Ukraine needs to understand who is responsible [for the fate of the agreement with the EU]," Westerwelle said.