Lofty EU ambitions

"We're convinced that the key area in Ukrainian foreign policy should be its European aspirations, mainly the integration into the European Union and NATO," Yushchenko said during his visit to London last week. The Ukrainian President said that his country would like to become a member of the EU within three years, adding that he hopes his country will be ready to join the World Trade Organisation (WTO) by the end of this year.

Last year Yushchenko won a bitterly-fought presidential election against a pro-Moscow candidate backed by the Russian President Vladimir Putin. The election was re-held following mass protests and demonstrations after the first round ended with voting fraud. The Orange Revolution's triumph and Yushchenko's pro-Western policy cooled Ukraine's relations with Moscow. But the President was keen to emphasize that Kiev's Western orientation is by no means anti-Russian. "Our strategy is aimed towards Europe, but it doesn't mean we are acting or scheming against Russia or anyone else," he said. "We are just following our own national interest."

Yushchenko was in London to receive the first Chatham House Prize for helping to improve international relations with his role in the Orange Revolution. (AFP)