Ukrainian president to meet predecessors

The Ukrainian president’s press service has said the head of state would support an initiative, which would see him holding talks with three former presidents.

The move, described as a “nationwide roundtable,” would see Viktor Yanukovych holding talks with his three predecessors Leonid Kravchuk, Leonid Kuchma, and Viktor Yushchenko, state-run BBC reported on Tuesday.

The talks would be held over the political crisis, which began when Ukraine decided not to sign a European Union association agreement.

Protesters are demonstrating against Yanukovych’s policy to expand trade relations with Russia, while holding off the agreement.

EU representatives have criticized Kiev’s reaction to the ongoing protests, demanding “an investigation into the violence we have seen against the peaceful protesters and everything that followed.”

The EU has blamed Russia for Ukraine’s refusal to sign the deal, saying it will not allow Moscow to “veto” deals in Eastern Europe.

Ukraine says it cannot afford to sacrifice trade with Russia for closer ties with the EU.

The EU’s executive body said on Monday that the bloc’s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton will travel to Ukraine on Tuesday for a two-day visit.