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Timoshenko to travel to Russia March 3 to discuss settlement in Crimea

KIEV, March 01, /ITAR-TASS/. Former Ukrainian Prime Minister and Batkivshchina (Fatherland) party leader Yulia Timoshenko will travel to Moscow on March 3 for talks on the settlement of the crisis in Crimea (autonomy within Ukraine), the Ukrainian news agency UNN said on Saturday, March 1, citing Pavel Nuss, chair of the Civil Committee for National Salvation.

He said the decision had been made by Timoshenko personally.

“If the information on Timoshenko’s visit is confirmed, we must demand that the talks be held publicly and directed by international mediators in order to rule out behind-the-scenes agreements,” Nuss said.

Timoshenko was released from prison on February 22 by the Ukrainian parliament. She had been sentenced to seven years in prison for having acted in excess of her powers when signing a gas contract with Russia at the time when she as prime minister. After release, she headed to Germany for medical treatment.

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