Bronislaw Komorowski (left) and Viktor Yanukovych Courtesy of prezydent.pl

On a visit to neighboring Ukraine on Monday, Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski said a “realistic” solution has to be found concerning former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

Ms Tymoshenko was sentenced to seven years in prison on October 11 for abuse of power related to the signing, when she was prime minister, of a natural gas import contract with Russia that was deemed to be unfavorable to Ukraine.

A Ukraine-EU free trade area and an association agreement, a key first step towards Ukraine one day joining the bloc, was due to be signed at an EU-Ukraine summit to be held in Kiev on December 19. But the prospects of inking a deal are fading as the West condemns the trial and imprisonment of Ms Tymoshenko as being politically motivated.

One solution for which the Polish president says he has high hopes is to remove article 365, under which Ms Tymoshenko was sentenced, from the Ukrainian Criminal Code.

“I would have wanted this question (Tymoshenko’s imprisonment) to have had less influence on the issue of Ukraine's future association with the EU. But in certain EU states and societies this question arouses great emotion," said Mr Komorowski at a joint press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart, Viktor Yanukovych.

Mr Yanukovych thanked the Polish president and the Polish government for their support of Ukraine’s EU integration, but made no commitments regarding Tymoshenko’s release.

Progression on Ukraine’s EU integration during the Polish presidency of the EU Council, which ends in December, was one of the top priorities on the country’s agenda.