Kiev deploys riot police to contain pro-EU protests

Ukrainian riot police have been deployed to the streets of the capital, Kiev, to stop thousands of pro-EU protesters who have been blocking entrances to key government buildings including the City Hall.

Security forces wearing helmets and holding shields formed a human chain across Kiev’s main street close to the City Hall and Independence Square, while also shutting three main subway stations outside the main protest site to block access to mass protests which have gripped the capital for weeks.

Protesters are demonstrating against a government decision to expand trade policy with Russia, while holding off on an EU association agreement.

Officials as well as opposition activists have asked protesters to evacuate buildings they have been occupying in order to avoid clashes. A court set a Monday deadline for the protesters to leave.

Eyewitnesses said some demonstrators appeared to be evacuating Kiev’s City Hall, while others are reinforcing their positions.

Ukraine’s opposition leader Vitaly Klitschko has demanded the government’s resignation though he has also expressed willingness to hold talks with President Viktor Yanukovych.

Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Kiev in the largest protests since the 2004-2005 Western-sponsored Orange Revolution in the country.

Protests were triggered after the government refrained from signing the Association Agreement with the European Union (EU) at the third Eastern Partnership Summit in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, on November 29.

Kiev refused to sign the agreement after EU leaders called on Ukraine to allow jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymshenko to travel overseas for medical treatment.

EU has blamed Russia for Ukraine’s refusal to sign a trade deal with the bloc, 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.