Tymoshenko's daughter meets German minister

But Eugenia Tymoshenko's attempt to meet with German leader Angela Merkel failed, despite a cross-country dash to a party election event where the chancellor was due to speak late Monday.

Eugenia Tymoshenko had a private meeting with Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger in Berlin to discuss her mother's case and the rule of law in Ukraine, ministry spokesman Anders Mertzlufft said.

Yulia Tymoshenko has been on hunger strike for about two weeks and needs medical treatment for a back condition. She is serving a seven-year prison sentence on charges of abuse of power, a case the West has strongly condemned as politically motivated.

Eugenia Tymoshenko made no comments as she walked to her meeting with the minister and canceled a scheduled news conference with lawmakers from Merkel's party to travel to the western city of Paderborn where the chancellor was due to appear.

But German government spokesman Steffen Seibert had already said that Merkel wouldn't meet Eugenia Tymoshenko, though he added she was "up to date on all the developments of the Tymoshenko case."

According to the German dapd news agency, Eugenia Tymoshenko left the Paderborn event before Merkel arrived.