It appears that Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko of Ukraine succeeded in melting the ice in the complicated relations between Ukraine and Russia. Despite negative expectations, she managed to start a dialogue with President Vladimir Putin. Their meeting in Novo-Ogarevo lasted for three hours instead of the scheduled two, and the negotiations between the Ukrainian prime minister and her Russian counterpart Viktor Zubkov lasted twice as long.
During her meeting with Putin, Tymoshenko heard the Russian side’s wishes, in particular Russia’s desire for a guarantee of equal rights for both Russian and Ukrainian investors on the Ukrainian market. Putin, who may become Russia’s prime minister after the presidential elections on March 2, paid what could be construed as a compliment to Ukraine’s prime minister. “We discussed a number of problems that looked serious at first glance. Later it turned out that every problem can be solved and there are no deep differences,” UNIAN quotes the Russian president as saying.
Putin also talked about the need for more active cooperation between the two countries in the sphere of production. He said that Russia and Ukraine should pay more attention to “diversifying contacts.” In her turn, Tymoshenko emphasized that Ukraine is interested in exploiting the full range of opportunities provided by the cooperation between Ukraine and the Russian Federation. Afterwards, Putin asked Tymoshenko whether she was satisfied with her meeting with Zubkov. Responding to his question, Ukrainian prime minister said: “Yes, there were no profound differences about any question.” Tymoshenko thanked the Russian president for finding the time and desire to talk.
