Ukraine's new president, Viktor Yanukovych, sought to reassure Western allies in a landmark visit to Brussels on Monday by pledging to continue strengthening ties with the European Union and vowing not to renege on existing NATO agreements, according to dpa. In an attempt to shed his image as an unreconstructed post-Soviet leader, Yanukovych choose the EU capital over Moscow as the destination of his first foreign trip since being inaugurated on February 25. He is expected in Russia on Friday. "Ukrainian foreign policy is not going to change dramatically. It will become more concrete and more pragmatic," he told journalists after meeting with EU President Herman Van Rompuy. "Our priorities will include integration with the EU, bringing up friendly and constructive relations with the Russian Federation and developing friendly relations with ... strategic partners such as the USA," Yanukovych added. The Ukrainian leader also moved to reassure NATO, despite his decision to exclude a visit to the alliance's headquarters from his Brussels trip. "The status of Ukraine is not going to change. As to the programmes we have jointly between NATO and Ukraine they will continue and our partnership relations will continue," he stated. He was replying to a direct question over Ukraine's participation in NATO's rapid-reaction force, a troubleshooting standby group of soldiers held ready to deal with any sudden military or civilian crisis. Ukraine is set to join the force in June. But at the same time, Yanukovych said that future relations between his country and the alliance are "an issue to negotiate, to discuss" - leaving an element of ambiguity over his willingness to let Ukrainian soldiers deploy alongside NATO in a few months' time. Yanukovych used to be seen as a potential problem in the West, especially after an attempt to fix the 2004 election, which would have let Yanukovych claim the presidency in a race against the pro-EU and pro-NATO Viktor Yushchenko. Yushchenko eventually claimed the position after a popular uprising. But after five years of rows between Yushchenko and his 'Orange Revolution' partners, Brussels seems ready to give Yanukovych another chance. "Yanukovych was recently elected president of Ukraine, so we believe he has the legitimacy now to promote stability," the president of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, said after meeting him. Barroso stressed that the January 17 and February 7 votes that swept Yanukovych to power were considered free and fair by international observers, despite outgoing prime minister and former Yushchenko ally Yulia Tymoshenko's appeals against her defeat. As a first sign of encouragement, the commission leader offered Ukraine "more than half a billion euros" (almost 700 million dollars) if it agrees to a new plan with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to bring its finances in order. He also raised the possibility of visa-liberalization and free trade deals in the medium term. The IMF last year froze 3.4 billion dollars of a 16.4 billion- dollar bail-out loan to Ukraine because its lawmakers failed to adopt a 2010 budget and commit to cuts previously agreed upon with the Washington-based institution. Brussels is keen for the row to end, as the money would help Ukraine settle gas bills with Russia, ensuring EU supplies are not disrupted. Barroso also said Ukraine would receive an unspecified amount of aid from international financial institutions such as the IMF and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) if it reformed its gas sector. Yanukovych replied by pledging to work on a key piece of legislation raising the price of gas for consumers - wanted by international donors because it would encourage efficiency. But his engagement was undermined by the fact that he does not control a majority in the Verkhovna Rada - Ukraine's parliament - leading Van Rompuy to call on opposition parties to cooperate. "I emphasized the importance of all political actors to make a constructive contribution to this end and reinforcing political stability," Van Rompuy said after talking to Yanukovych.
