| Author (Corporate) | BBC |
|---|---|
| Series Title | BBC News |
| Series Details | 06.12.13 |
| Publication Date | 06/12/2013 |
| Content Type | News |
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Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovych and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin held surprise talks on a 'strategic partnership treaty' on the 6 December 2013. The two presidents discussed a road map for the elimination of trade conflicts, in particular disagreements over gas supplies. In November 2013 President Yanukovych had shelved a partnership deal with the European Union, citing opposition from Russia, which in turn had triggered angry protests in Ukraine's capital Kiev from citizens. Mr Putin was said to be urging Ukraine to join Russia's customs union with Belarus and Kazakhstan - a union whose entry terms would be far less demanding than the EU's. Protests continued in Kiev when hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets on the 8 December 2013 seeking the resignation of the government for refusing to sign up to the deal on closer ties with the European Union. Symbolically, anti-government protesters toppled a statue of Soviet state founder Lenin as part of the protest. The gesture was seen as rejecting Russia's historic influence over Ukraine. Thousands of Ukrainian protesters huddled by braziers in their tented camp in the snowbound capital Kyiv, in defiance of riot police who took up positions throughout the capital as a deadline to clear the streets expired on the 10 December 2013. |
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| Source Link | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25267130 |
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| Countries / Regions | Europe, Russia, Ukraine |
