Fighting corruption a priority, says new Ukrainian president

VIKTOR YANUKOVICH has been sworn in as Ukraine’s new president and has pledged to fight poverty and corruption while balancing the country’s foreign policy between the European Union and Russia.

The former opposition leader gave his inauguration speech yesterday to a half-empty parliament, after allies of prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko boycotted the event in protest at his alleged use of fraud to beat her in this month’s election and his intention of strengthening Kiev’s ties with Moscow.

Ms Tymoshenko and former president Viktor Yushchenko weakened Russia’s traditional influence over Ukraine in favour of closer relations with Brussels and Washington, after overturning Mr Yanukovich’s fraudulent election “victory” in the Orange Revolution protests of winter 2004-5.

“Ukraine will choose such a foreign policy that will allow the state to get the maximum results from the development of equal and mutually advantageous relations with Russia, the European Union, the United States and other governments,” Mr Yanukovich said.

“The challenges that the international community face mean we have to join together in a larger format. We are ready to participate in this process as a European, non-aligned state,” he added, apparently ruling out the Nato membership that was so important to Mr Yushchenko.

The former president’s relationship with Ms Tymoshenko quickly soured after the Orange Revolution and they squabbled as Ukraine’s economy was ravaged by the financial crisis.

“A new period of our history is beginning. The country is in a difficult situation,” said the former car mechanic, who named his priorities as action against “colossal debts, poverty, a collapsing economy, corruption”.

“Ukraine needs a strategy of innovative movement forward, and such a strategy has been worked out by our team,” he insisted.

Mr Yanukovich’s party is determined to oust Ms Tymoshenko and her government as soon as possible and is mustering support in parliament for a vote of no-confidence in her cabinet. She refuses to resign as prime minister and vows to oppose his “illegitimate” presidency and policies that she calls “anti-Ukrainian”, suggesting that he is controlled by the Russian political and business elite.

Mr Yanukovich (59), who draws the vast majority of his support from the largely Russian-speaking east and south of Ukraine, and who struggles with the Ukrainian language, said he would visit both Brussels and Moscow next week in a demonstration of his desire to make his country “a bridge between east and west”.