US Denies Rumours of Thaw in Relations with Ukraine

Washington continues to maintain a strong position regarding an investigation of the circumstances surrounding Ukraine's sale of the Kolchuga aircraft tracking system to Iraq. This announcement was made by US Ambassador to Ukraine Carlos Pascual at a press conference in Kiev.

The ambassador strongly denied claims in the Ukrainian and Western press that relations between Kiev and Washington had significantly thawed and that the Kolchuga scandal was forgotten. 'We can't talk of a thaw in relations until the investigation into this matter has been completed,' stressed Pascual. 'It is an open and highly topical issue.'

Some sources suggest that Washington is already setting up a new State Department commission to investigate Ukraine's arms exports.