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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Ukraine leader 'wants to sign' deal | Ukraine leader 'wants to sign' deal |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovych intends to sign a deal on closer EU ties after all, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has told reporters. | Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovych intends to sign a deal on closer EU ties after all, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has told reporters. |
| She was speaking as pro-EU protesters continued to paralyse the centre of Kiev over the president's decision not to sign the EU association agreement. | |
| His U-turn late last month followed pressure from Russia. | |
| Baroness Ashton said Mr Yanukovych had assured her when they met that his aim was to sign the agreement. | Baroness Ashton said Mr Yanukovych had assured her when they met that his aim was to sign the agreement. |
| She did not give an indication of when she expected this to happen. | She did not give an indication of when she expected this to happen. |
| She said his concern during their talks was the "short term economic issues" that Ukraine faced. | She said his concern during their talks was the "short term economic issues" that Ukraine faced. |
| The Ukrainian government's handling of the pro-EU protests in Independence Square in Kiev has met with a stern response from both the European Union and the US. | The Ukrainian government's handling of the pro-EU protests in Independence Square in Kiev has met with a stern response from both the European Union and the US. |
| Police moved into the main protest camp in the early hours of Wednesday, prompting US Secretary of State John Kerry to express "disgust" at the government's treatment of a peaceful protest. The state department said later it was considering a range of responses including sanctions. | Police moved into the main protest camp in the early hours of Wednesday, prompting US Secretary of State John Kerry to express "disgust" at the government's treatment of a peaceful protest. The state department said later it was considering a range of responses including sanctions. |
| Moscow is concerned the EU free trade deal with Kiev would flood the Russian market and wants Ukraine to sign up to a customs union that includes Belarus and Kazakhstan. | |
| In his annual address to the Russian parliament on Thursday, President Vladimir Putin said he hoped a solution to Ukraine's crisis could be found and insisted the customs union would not be forced on Kiev. | |
| "We are not imposing anything on anyone, but if our [Ukrainian] friends want joint work (on the Customs Union) we are ready for a continuation of that work at expert level," he said. |