Tymoshenko: Case about Ukraine's future

KIEV, Ukraine, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko told a court in Kiev her corruption trial could influence the country's future.

Tymoshenko is on trial in connection to a 2009 gas deal she helped broker with Russian energy company Gazprom while serving as prime minister. The deal prompted Gazprom to resume gas supplies to the country, though the current government in Kiev said it came at a huge financial cost.

Tymoshenko told the court the case isn't related to her personally, the judge or Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.

"It influences Ukraine's future," she said in statements posted on her Web site.

European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek, in an August statement, said he was reminded of Ukraine's refusal to get dragged back toward totalitarianism. He added, however, that democracy is "fragile," noting recent developments in Kiev suggest more work is needed to reinforce the country's achievements.

Washington, meanwhile, has said it believes the charges against Tymoshenko are politically motivated. U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said in a statement this week Kiev was practicing "selective prosecution" that reminded him of the Soviet era.

"This isn't about me," said Tymoshenko. "This is about our country, our European strategy and Ukraine's European prospects."