Tue Jun 23, 2009 5:09pm BST

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKLN67800920090623?sp=true

KIEV, June 23 (Reuters) - Following are excerpts from an interview conducted on Tuesday by Reuters correspondents with Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko at a presidential guesthouse in Kiev. The interview was conducted in Ukrainian:

ON NEXT JANUARY'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION:

I would not start our discussion with (my approval) ratings. This competition will take place on two levels.

Either Ukraine will go back to yesterday, and that does not just mean domestic politics, not just the idea of losing our democratic changes, but a serious geo-political change.

The second option for Ukraine will be to continue on its European course, continue democratic policies, be worthy of being a European partner, be independent. That's how I would describe the debate lying before Ukraine.

I believe this is a test whether European democracy and European values can be expanded and gain new ground. And I believe that Ukrainians face a choice.

Let me just say frankly that over these last four years, the Ukrainian people have received a powerful vaccination against totalitarian behaviour, against violence from any side.

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ON WHAT THE ELECTIONS MEAN FOR UKRAINE:

The discussion is about where Ukraine will be in a year's time, two years -- in Europe or in Asia. Either a European policy of collective security will prevail, a policy of a unified market, unified values or Ukraine will once again be turned into an enclave.

It is clear that it is not only Ukrainians who stand behind this choice, but our neighbours are also paying considerable attention. That is the way it has been and will be.

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ON PRIME MINISTER TYMOSHENKO:

I am very sorry that a great many candidates, including the prime minister, are handicapped by their capacity to ignore key priorities in national development and the building of the state.

I was very sorry when, over the course of the past year and a half, Ukraine was several times on the brink of a constitutional coup generally initiated by Tymoshenko.

The aim was to make anti-constitutional changes, deny the people their right to elect the president publicly, extend the mandate of local assemblies and establish a system of a totalitarian regime for 10-15 years.

ON MOSCOW'S INFLUENCE:

I would say that if we are talking about a list of politicians who use or will use the services of the countries you speak about, the name of Tymoshenko will always be on it.

The question must be put in this way -- either you vote for a country where Yanukovich will be eternal president and Tymoshenko will be eternal prime minister or you vote for a democratic state where Yushchenko will be president and there'll be a democratic prime minister.

ON HIS CHANCES IN THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

This (election) is not my problem, but I must make my choice. I must present to the people every day my world view, my values as president. I must say things that are clearly unpleasant for the people.

I say things that the Ukrainian people are not used to hearing because they have neither the mentality, the history, the upbringing, the tradition. My mission is different -- I am the president who doesn't work for elections.

I am a president who works for future generations. If the nation understands that, I will be grateful. If it doesn't, I'll accept that with understanding.

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ON WHETHER UKRAINE CAN WORK WITH IMF DURING AN ELECTION:

Absolutely.In the past 15 years, I have seen no policy as flexible, upright and balanced as that which the IMF is pursuing at this time. As president, I am extremely satisfied with the essence of the dialogue with the IMF. We have seen unprecedented decisions made by the IMF which at one time would have been considered unacceptable.

I believe that the IMF fully understands the current specific circumstances in which Ukraine finds itself on the eve of the presidential campaign. And those who were supposed to conduct an effective governmental policy are simply not doing so now in many areas for political reasons.

And the IMF programme takes full account of this. I believe that the programme signed with the IMF is a proper programme.

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ON RISK OF NEW GAS WAR WITH RUSSIA

What happened in January is not a problem just for Ukraine but for all of Europe. There is no guarantee that this sort of gas blackmail will not occur in the future. We can say that Ukraine over 45 years diligently fulfilled its transit role. I want Europeans to believe that it is in Ukraine's interest to carry out its role of gas transit.

No politician in Ukraine could ever shut off gas supplies to Europe. I would like European public opinion to understand that it is in Ukraine's overall interest to ensure systematic, reliable transit of Russian gas. We then become winners. It is not our aim to play games with the problem of transit.

Perhaps European public opinion still does not understand what occurred in January. It was in no way a problem of transit, but rather a problem of supply. I believe it was one of the elements of blackmail against not just Ukraine but the European consumer as a whole.