The U.S. government’s diplomat efforts have been aimed at urging the Ukrainian authorities to stop political prosecutions of its opponents and to release former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, U.S. Department of State Spokesperson Victoria Nuland has said, according to an Official web site of Yulia Tymoshenko.

"Our efforts to date with the Government of Ukraine have been to use our diplomatic engagement with them to urge them to change course, to stop political prosecutions, to release former Prime Minister Tymoshenko, and to better protect the democratic reputation of Ukraine. That’s the policy that we are following at the moment. Obviously, the kind of measures that you’re proposing [visa restrictions] are possible, but that’s not where we are right now," Victoria Nuland said during the daily press briefing on December 11 in Washington, DC.

The U.S. State Department spokesperson also confirmed that the American authorities have cancelled First Deputy Prosecutor General Renat Kuzmin’s five-year multiple entry visa to the U.S. and stressed that issuance of visas is guided by the Immigration and Nationalization Act. "We don’t comment on individual visa cases. Everybody applying for a visa has to be checked against whether they meet the criteria. In the case of Mr. Kuzmin, he commented first, so we were able to confirm what he had to say," she added.

Видео дня

In was learned on December 10 that the U.S. authorities have revoked First Deputy Prosecutor General Renat Kuzmin’s five-year multiple entry U.S. visa. According to media reports, Kuzmin traveled to the U.S. this summer on a tourist visa to conduct an investigation involving Yulia Tymoshenko. According to bilateral protocol, Kuzmin should have coordinated his activities with U.S. law enforcement bodies.