Analyst: Tymoshenko trial poses threat of 'political quarantine' of Ukraine

Kyiv, August 9 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The trial of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko poses a threat of the "political quarantine" of Ukraine on the international arena, Director of the Situations Modeling Agency Vitaliy Bala has said.

"Somebody threatens that we could be isolated and that there might be some diplomatic problems. The first step we could face is a political quarantine. What is a political quarantine? This is when patients are not discharged [from hospital], but doctors can still come in. Just imagine, Ukraine, the geopolitical center [of Europe], and the government will not be able to travel to other centers in order to make decisions regarding Ukraine - it will be a big problem for all of us," he said at a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine news agency on Tuesday.

The analyst said that the request of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine to visit former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko in Lukyanivka jail was an "alarm signal."