Ukraine blasts a concern, Euro 2012 co-host Poland says

(WARSAW) - A series of blasts that injured two dozen people in Ukraine are a concern as the European football championship looms, tournament co-host Poland said Friday.

"This issue needs to be treated with the utmost seriousness," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told reporters.

"An attack in our region is something that is very rare, and the Euro 2012 context means we are particularly vigilant about such incidents," he said.

At least 27 people were hurt in Ukraine's eastern city of Dnipropetrovsk earlier Friday in four blasts that President Viktor Yanukovych called a challenge to the nation ahead of Euro 2012.

Tusk said he had presented his condolences to Ukrainian authorities, adding that Poland's and Ukraine's intelligence services were in contact about the blasts.

"The Ukrainian side has pledged to pass on any information about this, as well as all of its findings, as soon as they have them," he said.

Poland's ABW intelligence service later said that while it was in constant contact with Ukraine's security officials, there was no reason to fear a blast on Polish soil.

"In the light of the information we possess currently, there are no grounds to link the attacks in Ukraine to a terrorist threat in Poland, notably in relation to the approaching 2012 European football championship," it said in a statement.

"The ABW anti-terrorism division does therefore not see any reason to raise the threat level in Poland," it added.

Dnipropetrovsk is not among the eight host cities -- four each in Poland and Ukraine -- of the neighbours' first major international sports event.

However, on May 21 it is due to host a stop in a tour that is giving fans in both countries a chance to see the tournament trophy, currently in Poland and due to arrive in the Ukrainian capital Kiev on May 11.

The 16-nation tournament kicks off in the Polish capital Warsaw on June 8 and ends with the final in Kiev on July 1.

The explosions went off as security services were conducting anti-terrorist drills at Kiev's Olympic Stadium, the venue for several Euro 2012 matches including the final.