EU Ministers: Ball in Ukraine’s Court

Local Editor

European Union foreign ministers on Monday reiterated the bloc's willingness to strike a historic partnership deal with Ukraine, but said the ball clearly was in Kiev's court.

"We of course want that Ukraine signs the association agreement, there is still some hope for that," said German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle on arriving for talks in Brussels with his 27 EU counterparts.

"If there's a clear message from Kiev we're ready to sign tomorrow," said Sweden's Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, a key player in years of efforts to sign a political and free trade deal with Ukraine that would bring the nation a step closer to the West.

Ministers one after the other urged Ukraine to resist pressure from Russia to turn east rather than west a day after the EU's Enlargement Commission Stefan Fuele said Brussels was halting talks on how to implement the deal failing clarity from Kiev.

"The EU door remains open but clearly they're not able to walk through it," said British Foreign Secretary William Hague.

He further added: " important they're able to without pressure," saying that closer links between Ukraine and the 28-nation bloc would be in the interests of eastern Europe, including Russia.

This comes as the European Union suspended all negotiations with Ukraine on Sunday over a historic trade pact, as 200,000 converged on the main square in Kiev to demand the government align itself to Europe rather than Russia.

The EU's surprise announcement came despite the large numbers that converged on Kiev's snowy streets aiming to put pressure on President Viktor Yanukovich.
"Words and deeds of president and government regarding Association Agreement further and further apart," tweeted Stefan Fuele, EU enlargement commissioner. "Their arguments have no grounds in reality."

Fuele said that EU officials had told Ukraine that further discussions required a "clear commitment to sign."
By noon, Kiev's Independence Square teemed with people from as far as the western Ukrainian city of Lvov and the eastern industrial city of Luhansk.
They poured out from the metro exits and spilt onto the city's main boulevard, Khreschatyk, chanting: "Out with the gang!" and "Glory to Ukraine!"

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team