MOSCOW - The Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that Moscow sees "an anti-Russian subtext" in the trial of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

"We....note an obvious anti-Russian subtext in this entire story," the ministry said in a statement posted on its official web page after Tymoshenko had been convicted of abuse of office for signing a gas deal with Russia.

"Yulia Tymoshenko was prosecuted for the current, still valid, legally binding agreements between Gazprom and Naftogaz Ukraine," the statement said.

The ministry said Moscow respects Ukraine's sovereignty and the independence of its judicial system, but "the verdict must not affect the implementation of bilateral gas agreements."

"These agreements were made in a strict accordance with Russian and Ukrainian laws and relevant international laws," the ministry said.

The ministry stressed that gas deals between Russia and Ukraine must be observed.

Tymoshenko was sentenced seven years in prison for exceeding her power by signing a 2009 gas deal with Russia and squandering public funds.

The Ukrainian government has long urged Russia to review the existing gas pricing formula, but so far the two sides have not reached consensus on the issue.

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