Yanukovych to present Christmas tree as Ukraine's gift to Vatican

Ukraine will send a Christmas tree to the Vatican for the first time, and President Viktor Yanukovych will personally present the gift, the Ministry of Infrastructure reported on Tuesday, KyivPost informs.

"President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych will go to the Vatican to present the Ukrainian gift to the Catholic world," the report reads. The press service stresses that tree for the Catholic capital comes from the Carpathian Mountains in Zakarpattia region. Its height is 30 meters, the diameter of its trunk is 1.5 meters.

The tree was felled on Nov. 18 and will be set up in the center of the Vatican on Dec. 5.

The tradition of placing a Christmas tree in Saint Peter's Square started in 1982 during the pontificate of Pope John Paul II. Since then, each year the Vatican accepts a tree donated by a different European country or region.

Last year, the Christmas tree (34 m tall and weighing 5 tonnes) came from Italy.