Azernews.Az

Ukraine has accused Germany of employing ``Cold War`` tactics by threatening to shun the Euro 2012 soccer championship to protest the treatment of jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, Radio Liberty reported.

A Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman warned Germany on April 30 against making ``sports a hostage of politics.``

The comment followed media reports that German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other officials had asked ministers to avoid attending the German team`s matches in Ukraine.

Tensions between the two countries deepened last week after Tymoshenko claimed she had been beaten by prison guards and began a hunger strike.

Also on April 30, a spokeswoman for Jose Manuel Barroso says the European Commission president had ``no intention`` of traveling to Ukraine for the Euro 2012 tournament unless Ukraine took steps to address ``very serious`` international concerns over the treatment of Tymoshenko.

EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding has canceled plans to attend the first tournament match that Ukraine will host on June 9.

Supporters say Tymoshenko`s seven-year jail sentence is politically motivated.

The Euro 2012 tournament, which Ukraine is co-hosting with Poland, begins on June 8.

Klaus cancels

Meanwhile, Czech Republic President Vaclav Klaus has canceled his attendance at a summit of presidents of Central European countries due to be held in mid-May in Crimea.

A Czech presidential spokesman said the decision was also connected to the Tymoshenko case.

The presidents of Germany, Austria, and Slovenia earlier canceled their participation in the Crimea summit, citing the Tymoshenko case.

The European Union and the United States have condemned her prosecution, calling it an apparent case of persecution by Tymoshenko`s political opponents.

Other difficulties also continue to plague Ukraine`s preparations for Euro 2012, which is the first major international event hosted by the country since its independence from the Soviet Union.

The series of bomb explosions on April 27 in the eastern industrial city of Dnipropetrovsk have raised fears of poor security measures ahead of the championship.

Fans have complained about exorbitant ticket and hotel prices for an event that is expected to draw tens of thousands of soccer fans from across Europe and the rest of the world.

Martin Kallen, the tournament`s director for Europe`s soccer organizing body, UEFA, told Germany`s ``Sueddeutsche Zeitung`` daily that it was too late to move Ukraine`s Euro 2012 matches to another country.

If the situation becomes too dangerous, he said, UEFA could consider postponing the tournament to another year.