East Europe EditorUkraine intends to stick with its plans to prepare for future membership of the European Union, despite growing public concern in western Europe about future enlargements.

Oleksander Zinchenko, the state secretary and President Viktor Yushchenko's chief of staff, on Thursday insisted Kiev would not change its policies in response to the recent No votes in the French and Dutch constitutional treaty referendums, even though the results reflected worries about the Union's eastward expansion. “We have decided that it is better to remain consistent and we have not changed our working plan,” said Mr Zinchenko.