Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych will leave behind huge anti-government rallies on Tuesday to hold a meeting with Russia’s Vladimir Putin that protesters fear will lead to a pro-Moscow deal ruining their EU integration dreams.
The high-stakes Kremlin meeting comes two days after the European Union suspended partnership talks with Ukraine for a pact that had been aimed at pulling the ex-Soviet country out of Russia’s orbit for the first time.
Brussels officials cited Yanukovych’s continued courtship of Russia for their decision and demanded a firmer commitment to EU standards on political freedoms and economic reforms.
‘If there’s a clear message from Kiev, we are ready to sign (a partnership deal) tomorrow,’ Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said on Monday.
But Yanukovych will instead be hoping to win a multi-billion-dollar loan from Russia that his critics view as Putin’s reward for Kiev’s U-turn on the EU pact.
The high-stakes Kremlin meeting comes two days after the European Union suspended partnership talks with Ukraine for a pact that had been aimed at pulling the ex-Soviet country out of Russia’s orbit for the first time.
Brussels officials cited Yanukovych’s continued courtship of Russia for their decision and demanded a firmer commitment to EU standards on political freedoms and economic reforms.
‘If there’s a clear message from Kiev, we are ready to sign (a partnership deal) tomorrow,’ Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said on Monday.
But Yanukovych will instead be hoping to win a multi-billion-dollar loan from Russia that his critics view as Putin’s reward for Kiev’s U-turn on the EU pact.