KIEV, Sept. 12 – The trial of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko was suddenly put on hold for two weeks on Monday amid reported growing pressure on President Viktor Yanukovych from U.S. and European Union officials.

The surprise move comes days after EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton said U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrote a letter to Yanukovych on Friday, Reuters reported Monday.

"I think it's fair to say the letter expresses concern about the state of democracy in Ukraine and refers specifically to the arrest and detention of Tymoshenko, which is troubling," Reuters reported, citing a Brussels-based diplomat familiar with the text.

The diplomat said the EU and the United States had expressed their commitment to help Ukraine build a strong and prosperous democracy in which the rule of law is paramount.

Also on Friday, Alexander Kwasniewski, a former Polish President and a special envoy, traveled to Kiev for a three-hour one-on-one meeting with Yanukovych.

Kwasniewski mostly discussed the Tymoshenko trial and political implications the case may have for Ukraine, he later told a Polish Radio.

The developments come as Tymoshenko has called on the European Union to reject an important trade and political agreement with Ukraine to punish Yanukovych for alleged restriction of democracy.

Yanukovych planned to sign free trade and political association agreements with the EU before the end of the year.

Oleksandr Turchynov, the No. 2 in Tymoshenko’s party, said that the European leaders warned Yanukovych the Tymoshenko trial may have serious consequences for Ukraine, including scrapping plans for important meetings with Yanukovych.

“He was told that if an illegal conviction is given to Tymoshenko, these meetings will not take place,” Turchynov told TVi television.

At the hearing at the Pecherskiy district court in Kiev on Monday, judge Rodion Kireyev announced an adjournment until September 27 "to guarantee the rights of the defense and provide extra time."

Kireyev had repeatedly denied Tymoshenko’s requests for any extra time since the trial began in June, making the Monday move surprising for both defense and prosecution.

"We were surprised," prosecutor Liliya Frolova told Reuters.

Tymoshenko reacted to the move by declaring that the case against her had collapsed.

"This shows that the case has unraveled," Tymoshenko said. (tl/ez)