EU Foreign Ministers Say Door For Ukraine Still Open

EU's Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton told reporters it was still possible to work together with President Viktor Yanukovich to resolve issues that had led him to make a u-turn on an ambitious trade and cooperation agreement with Ukraine, despite reports on Sunday saying that talks had been suspended because the government in Kiev had failed to give a clear commitment."We are very concerned when we look at some of the things that have been said, and my purpose in talking to President Yanukovich was to discover what these short-term economic issues are that have prevented him from signing, and I feel that we can work with him to resolve those, some of them can be done through the support of the European Union, others through financial institutions and some are the role of the private sector, but all of them are possible," Ashton said.

EU enlargement chief Stefan Fuele on Sunday said on Twitter that the words and deeds of Yanukovich and his government on the proposed trade pact with the EU were further and further apart and that their arguments have no grounds in reality.

Fuele said he had told Ukraine's first deputy prime minister Serhiy Arbuzov in Brussels last Thursday that further discussion on the trade agreement was conditional on a clear commitment byKiev to sign it, but he had received no response.

As a result, Fuele said work on the agreement was on hold.

Fuele's words suggested the EU has lost patience with Kiev's demands for financial aid and was irritated at the way the bloc was being forced to take part in a 'bidding war' with Russia overUkraine.

But EU foreign ministers on Monday repeated their stance that it is up to Ukraine to decide to sign the contract with the EU or not.

"I think making policy on the basis of a twitter noticed by Mr Fuele is perhaps not the best way in approaching this issue," said Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans when asked about Fuele's tweet.

British Secretary of State William Hague said the prospects for getting a deal had dimmed, but the door remained open.

"The door remains open, the EU door remains open to Ukraine, but clearly they are not willing to or able to walk through it at the moment. Now they must make these decisions for themselves, but it is important that they are able to make those decisions for themselves, without external pressure, but being realistic of course the prospects of this have taken a major knock," he said.

Kiev had been expected to sign the agreement at a summit last month, but Yanukovich turned his back on the accord at the last minute in favour of closer ties with Moscow, leading to mass protests in Kiev.

The EU kept its offer on the table and Arbuzov said in Brussels last Thursday that Ukraine would sign the pact soon, but Brussels disputes Kiev's assertions that it needs 20 billion euros ($27 billion) of EU aid to offset the cost of adapting to the agreement.

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt expressed frustration about Kiev saying one thing to the EU and another to Russia and said it could be a sign of divisions within Yanukovich's government.

"It is a lot of double-speak. He is saying one thing one day and another thing another day and one thing to one set of people and another thing to another set of people. That could be a sign of severe dIvisions within the regime. We can't do very much about that. That will have to be sorted out by the regime itself," Bildt said.

The ministers will also meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and are expected to highlight their frustration over what they see as Moscow putting pressure on Ukraine to ditch the EU forRussia.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle highlighted the importance of keeping up dialogue with Russia, despite their disagreements.

"The Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will come to Brussels for meetings today, to my opinion it is important that these meetings continue to take place, especially in times when we have disagreements these conversations are essential, and exchanges are necessary. Russia stays our strategic partner. Even when we are not agreeing with Russia it is important that we keep talkingwith them and that the dialogue is continued," Westerwelle said.

The focus is now on a visit Yanukovich is due to make to Moscow next Tuesday to tie up trade agreements with the Kremlin to help the distressed Ukrainian economy.

The opposition fears he may take the first steps towards joining a Moscow-led customs union, together with Belarus and Kazakhstan, which they see as an attempt by President Vladimir Putin to re-create the Soviet Union.

Protesters called for another mass rally on Tuesday to monitor Yanukovich's trip to Moscow.

Yanukovich may be attempting to keep the attention of both Moscow and Brussels to strike as good a deal as possible to handle its huge debt and outstanding gas payments to Moscow. This is, however, a hazardous manoeuvre running the risk of alienating both parties.