KIEV, July 20 – European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission Catherine Ashton have said they believe that the Ukrainian authorities should immediately stop the selective prosecution of political opponents in order to sign signing and ratify the association agreement and the agreement on the creation of a deep and comprehensive free trade area (DCFTA).

"Signing and ratifying the Association Agreement and the DCFTA will not be possible unless Ukraine urgently addresses this stark deterioration of democracy and the rule of law. In the immediate term, this applies to the above cases of selective justice and politically motivated prosecution. Solutions need to be found, enabling Ms. [former Prime Minister Yulia] Tymoshenko, Mr. [former Interior Minister Yuriy] Lutsenko and others to regain their freedom and fully participate in political life," the EC leaders said in an interview with the Razumkov Center, which was published on Friday.