Yanukovych satisfied with ratification; Tymoshenko creates a committee to protect Ukraine

Making comments to journalists in Strasbourg on today’s events in the Verkhovna Rada accompanying the adoption of 2010 Budget and ratification of Kharkiv agreements between Ukraine and Russia, President Viktor Yanukovych said: "Nothing unexpected has happened in the Ukrainian Parliament today. Unfortunately, Ukraine got used to the often lack of parliamentary ethics in deputies. But we must stop that".

He stressed that, despite the opposition, the pragmatic coalition is working in the Parliament and necessary decisions are approved.

He also emphasized that Ukrainian government is trying to work effectively. Therefore, it sought to resolve budget issues and ratify the Ukrainian-Russian agreements on the eve of President’s visit to to Strasbourg to take part in the PACE session.

Opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko is initiating the creation of a committee to protect Ukraine, which will be an organizational structure to prepare and hold early parliamentary elections.

"In every village, town, city, institution of higher education, we need to create a committee to protect Ukraine. We need an organizational structure that is above the political parties," Yulia Tymoshenko said during a rally today by the Verkhovna Rada.

According to her, the opposition can counter the regime only with good organization.

Yulia Tymoshenko is confident that this committee will succeed in having early parliament elections held and will ensure that a patriotic constitutional majority is formed in the Verkhovna Rada after the elections.

"If the patriotic forces can rally every person that can vote, we can have 300 votes in the Verkhovna Rada, if we work the way Ukraine needs us to," said the opposition leader.

In her opinion, after a democratic majority is formed in parliament, they can begin impeachment proceedings against President Viktor Yanukovych. "Because only through a majority in parliament can we remove Yanukovych and his anti-Ukrainian policy," Yulia Tymoshenko said.