Viktor Yushchenko Winding Down

Things are looking pretty bad for the Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko.  Following Dmitry Medvedev’s direct attack on his candidacy, Russia has successfully made itself indispensable in this election … it seems they have learned from the last time.  These comments from Yushchenko reported in the Financial Times makes it appear as though he is winding down, getting a few last punches in before he is tossed from office.  Usually it’s moments like these when we hear the most interesting things.

Mr Yushchenko said: “We are witnesses of how the politics of totalitarianism is reaching its apogee against the principles of democracy, sovereignty and territorial integrity. Georgia is a sign of how, unfortunately, the Pan European community did not stand up to defend these fundamental principles. It’s was a setback,” he said.

TheUkrainian president said he hoped soon to meet US President BarackObama to discuss these and other issues and expressed solidarity with aplea to Western leaders made last week by members of Ukraine’sintelligentsia. In an open letter last week, politicians, artists andexperts called for western leaders to provide Ukraine with strongersecurity guarantees against an increasing threat from Russia.

MrYushchenko is trailing the frontrunners in the election who areactively seeking to harmonise relations which Russia. They includeYulia Tymoshenko, prime minister and his erstwhile Orange Revolutionpartner, and ex-prime minister Viktor Yanukovich, the Moscow-backedcandidate in 2004. Mr Yushchenko accused them of pandering to Moscow,selling out Ukrainian interests as “trading cards” to get Russia’ssupport for their candidacies.