Ukraine leader returns to crisis over ditched EU agreement

KIEV: Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was to return to Kiev from a China trip on Friday, to a country embroiled in its worst political crisis in a decade over his government’s refusal to sign a pact for closer links to the European Union (EU).

During his three-day absence, pro-EU demonstrators have dug in, keeping up a blockade of top government buildings and occupying a central Kiev square, while the United States (US) and EU officials have voiced support for their struggle.