In a move likely to infuriate Kiev, the Foreign Office insisted that no ministers who will attend three group stage matches England. Country teams competed in the first game against France on Monday in the eastern city of Donetsk. Also, there will be no official presence of the British government in two other British qualifier, against Sweden on June 15 in Kiev, and against Ukraine in Donetsk on June 19.
A Foreign Office spokesman said the government fully supports the participation of England in Euro 2012. "We hope this is a successful tournament. But there will not be state officials who will attend the Euro 2012 group match. While attendance at the final stage of the tournament is being reviewed," the statement said.
The boycott by the Downing Street came after several EU countries led by Germany announced that they will not attend the match in Ukraine. Last month Angela Merkel said that he and his cabinet will not attend any of the games in Ukraine, except for the situation of human rights under President Viktor Yanukovych improved.
European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, and Viviane Reding, commissioner of the agency's law, also confirmed they will not be traveling to Ukraine. Some European leaders including Czech President Vaclav Klaus and President of Germany, Joachim Gauck, also cancel a regional summit last month in the resort of Ukraine, Yalta.
England seems to have lost patience on Yanukovych, who was accused by his critics showed increasingly authoritarian tendencies. Tymoshenko, former prime minister, was jailed for nearly seven years for the case was politically motivated. Yanukovych refused to release him despite weeks of EU pressure.
Tymoshenko on a hunger strike in April after circulating photographs showing bruises on his body. He claimed prison guards attacked him and punched his stomach. Ukrainian prosecutors said his injuries were self-inflicted.
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