Vote threat to Ukraine’s president

Opposition leaders in Ukraine were pressing for a vote of no confidence in the government of President Viktor Yanukovych today.

Opposition leaders in Ukraine were pressing for a vote of no confidence in the government of President Viktor Yanukovych today.

Thousands of pro-EU protesters remained outside the parliament calling for the president to resign, days after a rally that brought 350,000 protesters into central Kiev.

Mr Yanukovych is set to travel to China, leaving the country in crisis over his decision to spurn a deal with the European Union and boost ties with Russia, its former Soviet master. He is also under pressure from international markets. Outside parliament, protesters holding EU and Ukrainian flags stood face to face with riot police.

Prime Minister Mykola Azarov accused the opposition of planning to seize the building. “This has all the signs of a coup d’état. This is a very serious matter,” Interfax news agency quoted him as telling the ambassadors of the EU, America and Canada.