Putin says Ukraine-EU deal a threat to Russia
Russia’s president has called for European leaders to end their criticism over Ukraine’s decision to delay an EU pact, as thousands rallied in Kyiv in a third day of protests.
Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday a free trade deal between the European Union and Ukraine that was controversially put on hold last week would have been a “major threat” to the Russian economy.
Also on Tuesday, Kyiv admitted Moscow had asked it to delay signing the pact, while President EU Yanukovych said he would consider signing under new terms.
The Ukrainian government suspended talks last week on the political and free trade accord, seen as a key step towards EU membership, which its Soviet-era master Russia had vehemently opposed.
The shock decision sparked the largest protests to hit the ex-Soviet country since the pro-democracy Orange Revolution in 2004, with demonstrators taking to the streets in the capital Kyiv and western Ukraine.