Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych met with three former Ukrainian presidents and the EU foreign policy chief in an effort to diffuse tensions over his refusal to sign a long-anticipated European Union trade deal in favor of closer ties to Russia.
Mr. Yanukovych met Tuesday with his predecessors Viktor Yushchenko, Leonid Kuchma, and Leonid Kravchuk as part of national roundtable discussions.
He is also set to meet with EU official Catherine Ashton while she is in Ukraine for a two-day visit.
Meanwhile U.S. assistant secretary of state Victoria Nuland met with three top opposition leaders and was scheduled to meet with Mr. Yanukovych later Tuesday. Nuland says the U.S. is cooperating closely with the European Union to resolve the crisis.