Ukraine Update

You'll find this on page 13 of yesterday's Washington Times:

KRAKOW, Poland ? Ukraine will consult Iraq's government and coalition allies before withdrawing its troops from Iraq, President Viktor Yushchenko said yesterday in comments that appeared to soften his position.

Mr. Yushchenko's predecessor, Leonid Kuchma, ordered officials on Jan. 10 to bring home 1,600 Ukrainian troops in Iraq in the first half of this year after eight were killed in an explosion the previous day.

Not sure why it didn't get the coverage his predecessor's now-pointless announcement of a pull-out did. Had President Yushchenko spoken a little louder, they might have heard him in London, where today's Financial Times had this report:

LONDON -- Even as US forces struggle to stabilise Iraq during the tense election period, they may soon face another challenge following Sunday's vote: the determination of several coalition members to withdraw thousands of troops from the region.

Several allied countries, many of them eastern European, which were part of the original "New Europe" group backing the Iraqi war have said they will either completely withdraw or substantially reduce their forces in Iraq after the January 30 elections.

The largest reduction is expected to come from Ukraine, which has 1,600 troops in Iraq, making it the sixth-largest contingent. Earlier this month, outgoing President Leonid Kuchma ordered the defence ministry to draw up plans to begin a complete withdrawal by the middle of the year after eight Ukrainian soldiers were killed in an explosion.

The move has been backed by incoming President Viktor Yushchenko, who campaigned on a promise to bring the troops home. "The withdrawal of the Ukrainian peacekeeping force is one of our priorities," said a statement by Mr Yushchenko's political organisation. He was planning to address it soon after taking office last weekend.

Guess they don't have a Warsaw bureau.