President of the center for economic development on the logic of reform and the choice of means discrediting the noblest goals.

A meeting with Volodymyr Ohryzko, Foreign Minister of Ukraine, opens a series of ZN interviews with the new Cabinet members.

Ukraine's parliament on December 18 confirmed Yulia Tymoshenko as prime minister, returning the controversial pro-Western politician to power three years after the Orange Revolution catapulted her to a short-lived, divisive premiership.

It is not even the matter of her astounding charisma and the iron will – Yulia Tymoshenko managed to sense the optimal propaganda strategy capable of uniting the both banks of the Dnieper, both parts of Ukraine.

It seemed that the talks about gas relations between Russia and Ukraine and between Gazprom and Naftagaz Ukraine were taking their normal course... before November 22.

Ukraine should not hesitate to say to its younger brother, Russia, that it should learn Ukrainian political culture.

Those who are more or less familiar with the energy issues in Ukraine consider the ‘breakthrough’ a science fiction novel having nothing to do with reality.

The elections are over, and various political forces are busy distributing powers amongst them, although the time is ripe for discussing Ukraine’s post-election economy.

Tymoshenko has learned a lesson from her recent premiership and this time, of course if she manages to enter the same river twice, she will not take thoughtless steps.

DMITRY VYDRIN

Moscow is afraid of making Yuliya Tymoshenko a counterpart in talks on the gas relations. As a result, Viktor Yushchenko again became the major negotiator with Russia. 

VLADIMIR SAPRYKIN, KONSTANTIN BORODIN, VADIM KARASYOV, VLADIMIR FESENKO, VLADIMIR FEIGIN, VLADIMIR VOLOSHIN

"There is a need to get rid of the mediator RosUkrEnergo, and then to increase the tariff of the Russian gas transit through Ukraine. Third point is the presentation of the White Flow gas pipeline project," Volodymyr Saprykin.

VADIM KARASYOV

The ruling elites consider Ukraine’s joining the WTO to be an important step and a serious foreign-policy victory. The point is that Ukraine is the first of the strong post-Soviet  economies that managed to join the WTO, although the process was not trouble-free. As to such WTO members as Kyrgyzstan, Moldova and Georgia, their economies are insignificant and, above all, they have not pretended to play an important role in the WTO.

VITALY BALA

Tymoshenko’s seeking to remove the RosUkrEnergo company from the the chain of the gas supplies and transit should be considered as an element of her presidential campaign. "Gas relations" with Russia became one of her weak points during her first premiership.

VADIM KARASYOV

The election of Yuliya Tymoshenko as Ukraine’s Prime Minister is the evidence of the fact that parliamentary-electoral mechanism of government formation is being created in Ukraine.

IGOR BURAKOVSKY

The fact that building the Our Ukraine-People’s Self-Defense and Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc coalition has taken almost two months after the early parliamentary elections indicates difficulties on both sides.

OLEKSANDR PASKHAVER, LIDIA VERKHOVODOVA

By way of overcoming the current political crisis Ukrainian society is developing the basics of democracy, though not in a very elegant or ethical manner. But there is no other way of learning freedom and democracy but to practise them.

VITALY BALA

In terms of tactics, the "orange" coalition formatoin is ByuT’s victory. But as head of state,  Viktor Yushchenko is a winner, too, because he can strengthen his power through the change of the Law on Cabinet and the constitutional reform.

STANISLAV BELKOVSKY

Under Yuliya Tymoshenko, a kind of the Francoist regime could be formed in Ukraine. It could have positive and negative sides.

VADIM KARASYOV

The parliamentary elections results can be boiled down to three points: Viktor Yushchenko’s victory, Yuliya Tymoshenko’s double victory and Viktor Yanukovych’s defeat. Viktor Yushchenko is the winner because he had initiated the early elections and they took place. The “orange” forces stand a good chance of returning to power.

DMITRY VYDRIN

Yuliya Tymoshenko managed to personify Lesya Ukrainka as well as Evita Peron. So, she deserved her victory. She created a failsafe image that could only be outmatched, but everybody failed to do it.

Ukraine has been an independent and sovereign nation for over 16 years, its last two elections were called the fairest ever, and earlier this month it was invited to join the World Trade Organization. So when the country’s interior minister decides to strike the mayor of the capital city, some eyebrows are going to be raised.

Once again, Russia has resorted to threats and bullying in an ongoing effort to keep Ukraine subservient. And once again, its weapon of choice is gas. Most colonial divorces have been characterized by the colony cutting off the colonizer from its supply of natural resources. But with Russia, the situation is exactly the opposite - at least that's the way it seems on the surface.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko’s long running efforts to break the stranglehold on her country’s gas supplies are beginning to pay off – due to assistance from an unlikely ally. Russia, which has been widely accused of using gas sales to put geopolitical pressure on Ukraine and other Western neighbors, now appears to be cleaning up its act.

It’s a new year, and Ukraine has a new government headed by a fiery reformer with a penchant for making high-stake gambles. Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is known as the gas queen – more for how she earned her money back in the 1990’s than for how she has tried to clean up her country’s gas sector in more recent years. But clean it up she has tried, against highly formidable of opponents at home and abroad.

Yulia Tymoshenko was approved as Ukrainian prime minister on December 18. This marks the beginning of Ms. Yulia's second stint as head of government. She was nominated both times by pro-Western president Viktor Yushchenko, whom she helped rise to power during the country's 2004 Orange Revolution, and then hold on to authority during this year's power struggle.

The motivation of Ukrainian businessmen with influence if not seats in parliament to keep out foreign competition should not be underestimated. One need only do a quick cost comparison of what consumers are forced to pay in the Ukrainian capital for food, clothing, mobile communications, etc. in order to guess what kind of profits are at risk from a freer market.

With parties heir to Ukraine's Orange Revolution perched to retake full control of the country’s executive, Orange president Viktor Yushchenko is again demonstrating the kind of dubious indecision that cost them the government in the first place. His one-time revolutionary sidekick, opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko, was the real winner in the September 30 snap elections, earning enough votes to come back as premier.

The queen of Ukrainian politics, opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko, was the unofficial victor in Ukraine’s snap elections on Sunday, with exit polls indicating she will head the next government. But Tymoshenko’s ascension to power will be anything but a sexy saunter, as her enemies are unlikely to allow themselves to be sidelined by a pretty populist.