Ukraine said today it still wanted to reach a historic deal on closer ties with the European Union, as mass protests over a move to scrap the pact went into a fourth day.
Prime Minister Mykola Azarov's announcement failed to appease protesters who blockaded the government building during today's cabinet session demanding Kiev sign the political and free trade deal at a two-day summit in Vilnius that begins tomorrow.
Last week the government abruptly announced it would not sign the accord, seen as a key step toward Ukraine's EU membership, sparking the biggest rallies since the pro-democracy Orange Revolution in 2004.
Brussels has accused Moscow of pressuring its neighbour, which is heavily dependent on Russia's natural gas, to put the deal on ice.
Azarov told a government meeting that Ukraine fully intended to forge closer relations with the EU.
"I affirm with full authority that the negotiating process over the Association Agreement is continuing, and the work on moving our country closer to European standards is not stopping for a single day," he said.
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who is planning to attend the summit in Vilnius, said in a televised interview last day that his government wanted better terms from the EU.
Kiev has complained that the EU was offering insufficient compensation for the damages it would suffer by diluting its tight economic ties with Russia.
"As soon as we reach a level that is comfortable for us, when it meets our interests, when we agree on normal terms, then we will be talking about signing," Yanukovych said last day.
Today, current EU chair Lithuania reiterated that the bloc was ready to sign the deal.
"If Ukraine says 'yes, we want this,' we will meet to discuss what to do. We are ready to hold the necessary meetings in Vilnius," Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius told reporters in Lithuania.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Russia should not view Europe's tighter ties with Moscow's neighbours as a threat.
"We should overcome the mentality 'either us or them.' The Cold War is over," she said. "We should now overcome the last remnants of the Cold War and I'll participate in this with pleasure.
