You're reading: Wall Street Journal: Putin seeks to cajole Ukraine

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin arrives in Kyiv Tuesday to try to persuade Ukraine's leaders to ditch plans to sign a free-trade agreement with the European Union and instead join a Russia-led customs union. Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has resisted pressure from Russia, and in particular Mr. Putin, to pull Ukraine into its bloc through cajoling and economic offers. But Russia last week upped the pressure in its attempts to trump months-long EU talks by saying it could offer Ukraine an annual $8 billion discount on gas supplies, setting the stage for a tug-of-war between Brussels and Moscow for Ukraine's allegiance. Read full story here.