People’s Rukh won’t team up with BYUT in a coalition – Les Tanyuk

The meeting lasted 2 hours but no decisions were made. The only item on the agenda was the formation of a coalition of NUNS, BYUT and the Lytvyn bloc.

“Earlier, Tymoshenko agreed to share Rukh’s ideals. We have made a list of 18 demands which can make our cooperation possible. So far, Tymoshenko has not analysed them. These demands include the issues of NATO, OUN-UPA, the Ukrainian language and culture, the contract army, among others. The demands are part of Rukh’s campaign agenda and are divergent from those currently espoused by BYUT,” Tanyuk added.

According to Tanyuk, Rukh branches in oblasts Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil, Kharkiv, Poltava and several others are not supportive of cooperating with BYUT. By contrast, smaller Rukh oblast organizations in oblasts Cherksay and Khmelnytsky take a positive view of teaming up with BYUT. “Tymoshenkjo assured us that her party will favor the troika coalition of BYUT, NUNS and the Lytvyn bloc and said she will never join in a coalition with PR,” Les Tanyuk noted.

He said the Rukh chief Borys Tarasiuk and other Rukh lawmakers will insist on continuation of coalition talks with BYUT. Meanwhile, Rukh lawmakers representing Ukraine’s Western regions say it is immoral to be involved in coalition talks while the struggle against Yushchenko continues.

“Tymoshenko hinted that she would not override the president’s veto on the laws passed by BYUT and PR which cut Yushchenko’s powers. However, she has put forward a demand that there must be a signal from Yushchenko confirming that he favors such a coalition. I guess, no troika coalition will be formed. With snap elections a highly probability, Tymoshenko is wary to alienate Western Ukraine national democratic voters. That is why Yulia Tymoshenko assured us that she is a patriot of Ukraine. Let’s live and see,” the lawmaker concluded.