Lithuania called on European Union leaders to approve a free-trade accord with Ukraine to show the bloc is serious about pursuing closer ties with the former Soviet republic.
The trade pact would potentially precede a planned Association Agreement to reassure Ukraine and encourage it to boost democratic standards, the Foreign Ministry in the capital, Vilnius, said today on its website. Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych is due to visit the Baltic nation Feb. 6 before meeting EU officials in Brussels Feb. 25.
