200,000 rally as EU suspends Kiev talks

The European Union suspended association talks with Ukraine yesterday as more than 200,000 protesters massed in the heart of Kiev demanding that the government recommit itself to the West.

The ex-Soviet nation of 46 million has been at the heart of a furious diplomatic tug of war since President Viktor Yanukovych’s surprise decision last month to ditch a landmark EU agreement and seek closer ties with historic master Russia.

EU enlargement commissioner Stefan Fuele announced in a surprise tweet that the 28-nation bloc was halting talks with Kiev until it received a firmer commitment from Yanukovych that Ukraine was serious about the deal. “Ukraine: Words and deeds of President and government regarding #AssocAgreement further and further apart,” said Fuele.