Ukraine dominates EU-Russia summit

The European Union and Russia urged Ukraine leaders yesterday to find a non-violent solution to the election crisis gripping this former Soviet republic.

In The Hague, Ukraine's crisis dominated summit talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the European Union presidency, at odds on the issue.

The appeal from The Hague came as Ukraine's opposition leader raised the stakes in his standoff with the Kremlin-backed Prime Minister, asking the Supreme Court to declare presidential election results invalid and threatening to have his supporters block key highways.

Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said in a press conference that democracy has to be respected. "We do agree that the peaceful approach to setting up a legitimate government is essential. Any objections to the electoral process must be looked into."

Mr Putin said that all claims relating to Ukraine's election should be settled by the courts. "From my perspective all issues concerning the elections ... should be addressed in accordance with the Constitution. All claims should go to the court. We have no moral right to push a big European state to any kind of massive disorder."

On Wednesday, the EU said that Ukraine's authorities must investigate the disputed presidential elections, saying they could not be considered democratic by international standards. Commission president José Manuel Durao Barroso also warned of "consequences" if the situation is not remedied.

At the summit, held once a year, the EU delegation was led by the Mr Balkenende in his capacity as president of the European Council assisted by the High Representative for the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, and by Mr Barroso. The Russian delegation was led by President Putin.

The Dutch presidency said that the leaders of both sides underlined the importance they attach to their strategic partnership and their intention to further intensify their cooperation in Europe and beyond.

They welcomed the extension of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement to the new EU member states. They reviewed the steps taken to address the impact of EU enlargement on EU-Russian relations and stressed their firm commitment to actively continue this work.

Malta is directly interested in this cooperation with Russia through the EU. A few weeks ago, Foreign Minister Michael Frendo encouraged the European Commission to step up its efforts to conclude current discussions with Russia over a new visa arrangement with EU member states.

Dr Frendo told a meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Brussels that Malta needed to have a visa-free arrangement with Russia as soon as possible.