Eugenia Tymoshenko - Daughter of Yulia Tymoshenko HARDtalk

and a civil liberties organisation she worked for in the 1970s. Ed

Miliband says she has his full support. Now, it's time for

HARDtalk. Welcome to HARDtalk. After the

revolutionary tumult in Ukraine, what comes next? The country is

financially crippled, internally divided and a cockpit of tension

between Moscow and the West. Who can hold Ukraine together? Tonight, I

speak to Eugenia Tymoshenko. Her mother Yulia is the former prime

minister, newly released from prison and widely seen as a powerful

contender for Ukraine's presidency. Her name has pulling power, but is

Yulia Tymoshenko what Ukraine needs? Yulia Tymoshenko what Ukraine needs?

Welcome to HARDtalk. Thank you so much. It's great to be here. Well,

you have been through an extraordinary week. Extraordinary

for your country and, of course, for your family as well. Tell me what it

has been like to live through it. Well, of course it has been a very

long fight. It's not just the last 2.5 years. It's actually been four

years since Yanukovych came to power and started his repression against

the opposition, to imprison opposition leaders and others to

make his coup d'etat and start his attack on civil society and

journalists and slowly built up his dictatorship. Of course, just a few

days ago when the new majority in the parliament, the constitutional

majority, voted for my mother's immediate release, it was

unbelievable. I thought this moment would never arrive. So much effort

was put through not just for my mother's freedom but for the freedom

of Ukraine from the risk of authoritarianism, freedom of Ukraine

from the post`Soviet corrupt elites from the legacy, and finally, we

could see that probably the way forward towards a European future is

paved now and is being paid. We will get to those big issues in the

course of this interview. But just tell me about the release of your

mother. As you say, it all happened so quickly. The parliament voted to

have her immediately released from prison and not long afterwards,

there she was in Independence Square behind you. Tell me what that was

all like formal point of view. Well, of course, the first day of voting

took place and we saw that it was a constitutional majority. We were

never sure of that bipartisan support would support her immediate

release and those people that were viewed by many as being enemies of

the opposition. They realised and came out in the open. It was so

emotional when this vote finally happened. Then after a few minutes,

we actually realised that her life had been in danger in that place, in

that stronghold, where it was very risky to leave her for a long time

given that the presidential administration directly controls the

penitential system straight down to her guards. It was a very stressful

time of my life and then I saw her in the airport in Kiev and she was

in a wheelchair, surrounded by so many people greeting her, wearing a

bullet`proof jacket, believe it or not, because we understand the

situation here and she is still a dangerous politician for the regime,

which is still breathing. Another big emotion when she `` was when she

saw her mother and she had not seen her mother for three years and she

had not been able to see her while she was on hunger strike, when she

was being beaten, while she was under this pressure. Her mother was

always there, barely surviving and waiting for her. The family reunion

happened and of course we are thankful most of all to the people

at Maidan, who fought for this victory and who died under the

bullets. There should not have been such a high cost for such political

changes to happen. It should have been done much earlier and these

changes should have been without blood. For those of us who have been

used to seeing photographs of your mother while she has been in prison,

when she came out, she looked frail. But she seemed absolutely determined

to address the crowd with you by her side in Independence Square as soon

as she possibly could. Is that a signal from her to the nation that

she is absolutely determined to play a big political role? You know, she

has never actually left politics or the political fight. She has been

2.5 years in prison and even though she was always isolated and under

pressure, she always kept in touch with the opposition and tried to

keep in touch with people. She managed to unite the opposition

before the last elections so they could stand as a single front and

she watched over the last months with great support and devastation

for the people who died through the violent and were used by the regime

in this stand`off. She watched the great courage of Ukrainian people.

These feelings fulfilled her so much and she wants to use this

opportunity to get out and speak to people and tell them how proud she

was to be Ukrainian and how grateful she was for what they have done to

free their country. So, of course, it has been very emotional for her,

the welcome at Maidan, and I think that people were greeting her,

saying she was a hero. At the same time, it was a very sad day and that

continues because there are now days of mourning for those who died and

she, of course, mentioned that, saying that the first priority is to

pay tribute to those who died by doing everything possible to change

this place for the better. It seems to me that she had a choice when she

went to Independence Square, to Maidan, to make that address. She

could have struck a note of harm and conciliation or she could have in a

sense roused the crowd with a very populist and somewhat angry message.

`` calm and conciliation. It seems she did the latter. One thing she

said was if we let people who shop bullets into the heart, if we

forgive them, it will be our shame forever. Do you think that was the

right message at the right time? Well, I think that Maidan here and

the people here... I was just passing on the street where people

were killed by bullets of the police. Thousands, thousands of

flowers. Hundreds of people. Hiding behind shields of thin metal and

wood. Shot up to five times. At least five bullet shots through

them. And the whole world saw this horrible picture of murder. And my

mother was also sitting there, watching and crying. And not only

Ukrainians were devastated by this and shocked. Many European leaders

said the next day that Yanukovych's hands were covered in blood, as were

those who encouraged and allowed such murders against people. And

here, Maidan will not feel justice until those people are brought to

the criminal punishment for those murders. Even Konchesky killed less

people than Yanukovych during this up people. `` during this up evil.

Sure, but justice and the rule of law... We know right now in Kiev and

other parts of Ukraine, there is a form of vigilantes street justice

being meted out. Those who are deemed to have been supporters of

Yanukovych are being pulled out of cars and beaten up. There are some

reports that the former chief of staff of Yanukovych has been injured

in an attack. That surely cannot be good for Ukraine's immediate future.

And she completely agrees. Apart from this message that you quoted,

she says that now is the time also for the people who stood in Maidan,

for those who were standing under the bullets, to guarantee that the

unity of Ukraine is a reality, that we move forward while paying tribute

and honoured to these people by punishing those who are

responsible. At the time, she says this is a new Ukraine and a new

Ukraine needs change and this change cannot only be provided by

politicians. She has apologised for that and the mistakes of inaction.

She says the Ukrainian people are wise enough to lead their country

without violence. That is why now, she is meeting opposition leaders

day and night, together with the leaders of the civil society from

East and West, from the former government and from the opposition,

trying to build this platform of unity for the people of Ukraine to

move forward. And today, when she met Catherine Ashton, she mentioned

the priorities that she and the other leaders agreed to. And they

are that Maidan will not leave until they feel that justice is done for

those who were killing their people on the streets, and second, that

what is being formed as a government of national unity, and the whole

opposition is making sure that the leaders of the civil society are

included in a maximum we in the construction of the new political

system. Next, we need the financial and economic help to really have

Ukraine survive. Because Yanukovych left it in a devastating economic

state. Let me ask you some blunt and simple questions. You talk about the

need for national unity and the need for different political forces to

come together. Simply, does your mother intended to run for the

presidency? We know that the election is scheduled for the 25th

of May. Will she be a candidate? So far, she has not made any direct

announcement about going for prime minister or a president. She has not

mentioned political positions. She has done this so that, for sure, now

is not the time to do so. At the moment, there is emergency work

needed to follow through the priorities that I mentioned before.

And of course, we are still first of all morning our dead, the heroes of

Ukraine. We have to do our most to do what they feel just. And then

talk about political positions. At the same time, Maidan and the people

of Ukraine, the majority, ask for early elections. Presidential and

parliamentary elections. The government has already voted for

presidential elections, for the elections of Mao 's. This process is

on, but so far, she has not made any statement. I appreciate that. We

know the process is on. Vitali Klitschko, for example, has

announced he will be a candidate representing his opposition movement

in the election. Your mother is going to have to make a decision

soon. I just wonder, and I put this to you bluntly, even though I am

aware of what she has been through in the recent past, do you think

your mother is aware there is a strong feeling in the country that

she is not the right person to take Ukraine forward? That she is too

tainted by the past, by allegations of corruption, by being a member of

the old economic elite to be an effective, new figure in Ukraine's

politics? She has never been accused of corruption or private gain. She

has never been accused of these things. By the political leaders of

the world that investigated all the background before making such

statements. I'm referring to the charges on which she was convicted

in 2011, I am talking about the fact that if you go back to the mid`19

90s, she was known in Ukraine as the gas princess. She made a fortune and

nobody knows how much it was, it was many millions of dollars. Because of

her access to Ukraine's gas resources. One of her closest

associates was convicted of serious financial crimes in the United

States. Many Ukrainians leave that because of that record she is not

the pit `` bright person to take your country forward? Via broadly

been through this to say, she was a businesswoman connected, she had a

corporation in D9 to ease, all the businesses had to deal with

politicians. She was the one which was on the top of her business

career, refused to be a businesswoman. She left the

corporation, the corporation was destroyed because she refused to be

part of corrupt schemes. Then she became a Member of Parliament. 17

years ago, she was never considered an oligarch. She was never

considered to have the fortunes of those who owned television channels.

These conversations were rejected by the California State District Court

back in 2004 and she was tried to be dirt. This was denied by the courts

and never any more brought back. Only by oligarch channels in

Ukraine. These allegations are in the past now. I understand she has

enemies, but there are independent observers who have looked at the

political situation and reached conclusions about your mother. One

observer said my sense is that independent Square we can see behind

you want is a new class of people, politicians. Clean people. Part of

this movement was agreement clipped Chrissie? That is for sure. That is

why people, thousands, hundreds of thousands of people came to greet my

mother at Maidan. Hundreds of thousands of people called for her

freedom, saying read to Yulia Tymoshenko, every time I walked on

the stage. People who voted for her a supporting her as well? You are

with your mother on the stage and this is what the Wall Street journal

reported from the scene when your mother made her speech? The journal

said, when she offered an apology on behalf of all politicians saying

they had not been worthy of you, the people, and she pledged to change

that, pockets of people in the crowd called out to your mother, we do not

believe you. She does not have the support of the Maidan. It would not

say so. I think we are now starting the new European page where people

should be open and met for their opinions. No politician in Europe

has 100% support or even 60% support by people. Of course, we are now

entering the new Aero when people can express their opinions freely.

They can criticise and they are not afraid to be beaten. And repressed.

My mother when she was Prime Minister after she was put to jail,

and then released when the President said he had no allegations against

her and she was just political. She never took revenge on him when she

was Prime Minister. She never took revenge against anyone. Now when a

new opportunity comes for the freedom and critical elections,

people will choose to vote with their support. As she has stepped

out of prison, there were no provocations against her. And those

who try to discredit her, understand she is a very important figure. And

a competitor to some opposition leaders. She spoke to all of them

and she said she will appeal to people who she feels will support

her. The true key for the change as you might support in the democratic

world is a free and fair election. I will run through two of the biggest

challenges facing Ukraine? One, internal divisions. In the east and

south of the country, where many people look towards Ross `` Mark

Moscow where they speak Russian and are ethnically Russian in the

Crimea, there are misgivings about what has happened in TF. Others your

mother in ten to reach out to those people and politicians like Vladimir

Putin in Moscow as well? My mother does not want to take a single out

roll in despite for this political process to change the country. She

has been very clear that before she united opposition she wants to act

within the Opposition with politicians and civil society who

respect her and welcomed her back to this process. Now it is a task, not

only of politicians but of the people at Maidan who should really

put together the forces to unite Ukraine, to start this unification.

It has started already when the new majority was founded from the

presidential defection, embers of Parliament to the Opposition. It is

starting and it is a very difficult process. The European `` the

European leaders can play this unifying role. Vladimir Putin said

your mother was someone who he felt comfortable dealing with. Has she

made any attempt to make contact with Vladimir Putin? She has never

tempted to contact them. While their relationship was one of equals and

it was when she was Prime Minister, and he was Prime Minister, they

discussed the interests of their own countries on the basis of respect,

mutual respect. As soon as my mother left prison, she made sure she

thanked the leaders of the democratic world who with their with

her, supporting her and fighting for her freedom as well as the people

here and opposition leaders. Ukraine, and she believes Ukraine

needs to find the way to peaceful economic coexistence. Of course,

Ukrainian progress with all the neighbours it has. But not just by

or risking integrity of Ukraine. She or risking integrity of Ukraine. She

never changed her opinions. She has been consistent through her

political career. She very much respect that. To be clear about the

planning of your mother, she said when she came out of prison, the

future of Ukraine had to be in Europe. Your mother wants ultimately

to see Ukraine inside the European Union? I think today when meeting

Baroness Ashton, she clearly said, as soon as the national unity

government is formed, and the financial habit has been proposed by

the democratic world, the next step very much demanded here are which is

why Maidan came to be was to sign such an agreement. She said we need

to take that step`by`step. You came panned for years to get the freedom

of your mother, you have now spent a few days with her, everything from

this conversation leads me to believe your mother will run for

president? Am I correct. Do you think she will? I think it is not

really the time to announce such political decisions. As a daughter,

I want my mother first to be healthy and she agreed, of course, to go by

invitation of Angela Merkel to a clinic to get better. That is what I

wanted to do. Feel she should do that to protect her help. I think

all other statements that she should make politically, would follow

together with that. She made long consultations already with the

tightly clutch cover and all the leaders of the Opposition who stood

here at Maidan with others. They will make a very unified, very

consolidated, constructive decision and you will hear soon about this.

Eugenia Tymoshenko, thank you for joining us from TF. `` Kiev.

A cold night out there compared with last night. A chilly start to your

Wednesday morning. A touch of frost possible or country and upland

areas.