EU’s Ashton urges Russian understanding, support on Ukraine
KYIV Feb 25 (Reuters) – Russia should behave like a good
neighbour towards Ukraine and let it move forward in the way it
chooses after three months of unrest and conflict, European
Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said on Tuesday.
Ashton, the first senior foreign official to visit Kyiv
since the overthrow of Viktor Yanukovich as president, said the
EU understood the need for strong links between Russia and the
former Soviet republic, but that a strong message should be sent
about Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
Voicing “strong support” for Ukraine’s new leaders at a news
conference, Ashton urged them to form an “inclusive” government
and focus on getting the country through short-term problems.
She spelled out no details of any foreign financial
assistance, saying the EU would work with the International
Monetary Fund but the IMF would make its own assessment of the
situation.