KIEV, Feb. 27 - A Ukrainian court sentenced a key political ally of jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko to four years in prison on Monday for embezzlement and abuse of office.

The verdict and sentence given to Yuriy Lutsenko means he will stay in jail for two years and 10 months, allowing for time already served since his December 2010 arrest.

The United States and the European Union have condemned Lutsenko’s trial and the imprisonment of Tymoshenko as politically motivated. Tymoshenko is serving a seven-year sentence on charges of abuse of office.