WASHINGTON, March 2 ??“ Yulia Tymoshenko, the leader of the largest opposition party, called on the U.S. to support construction of natural gas pipeline that would give Ukraine access to Central Asian gas bypassing Russia.

Tymoshenko met U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney on Thursday and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday to discuss the pipeline that would reduce Ukraine??™s dependence on Russia.