The EU says it is putting on hold work on a key trade agreement with Ukraine, saying the government's arguments have "no grounds in reality". Protesters have taken to the streets in support of the agreement, which was rejected by the government.
A journalist for the Lyon-based news outlet Euronews has claimed that riot police in Kiev deliberately attacked one of its crews:
There is an urgent need for de-escalation in Ukraine as President Yanukovich tries to calm a country bitterly divided over years of history.
Ukraine's political and economic landscape is stuck between old Soviet masters in Russia and the democratising ideals offered by the EU.