KIEV, November 25 (RAPSI) – Ukrainian police initiated a criminal case after pro-European integration demonstrators tried to storm the administrative building for the Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers in Kiev on Sunday.
Protesters rallied against the government’s decision to suspend signing a landmark trade and association agreements with Brussels, and allegedly attempted to storm the Government Building several times.
A police spokesperson refrained from commenting on which charges specifically would underlie the case, but added that at least two policemen were injured during the brawl.
The Ukrainian government announced November 21 it was halting plans to sign long-anticipated trade and association deals with the EU, because of the damage it would do to trade with Russia. It said it would seek closer cooperation with Russia and the Moscow-led Customs Union, which includes Belarus and Kazakhstan.
The EU blamed unprecedented Russian pressure on Kiev for the Ukrainian decision to suspend the deals, but Moscow denied any strong-arm tactics and accused the EU in turn of engaging in blackmail to pressure Kiev to sign up. Earlier this year, Moscow suspended imports of some Ukrainian goods and warned that preferential trade agreements with Ukraine would end if it signed the EU deals.