European officials have lashed out at Kiev after Ukraine’s former prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko, was jailed for seven years for abuse of power. Brussels says the trial was biased and warns the verdict will have serious repercussions.

President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek said he regretted Tuesday’s sentence and wished it to be reconsidered in an appeal. The sentence “causes concern over its politically-motivated nature and the discriminatory use of law in Ukraine,” he said.

The European Commission’s Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton said in a statement that the EU will review its policy towards Ukraine. Kiev’s approach to the trial poses a risk “of serious repercussions to bilateral relations between the European Union and Ukraine,” and will have an impact on “the Association Agreement, our political dialogue and our co-operation in a broader sense,” the statement said.

The trial by a Kiev court “did not meet the international standards for a just, transparent and independent judicial procedure,” said Maja Kocijancic, Ashton’s spokesperson.

Earlier, Brussels warned it would deny Kiev the EU Association Agreement it covets, should Tymoshenko be jailed, RT reported.