Ukraine will continue working towards EU integration, the country’s Prime Minister, Mykola Azarov, has stated.

"The negotiations on the signing of the association agreement will continue. We are working all the time to bring the country closer to European standards," Azarov said on Wednesday, as cited by Xinhua.

He told his cabinet that Ukraine intended to forge closer relations with the European Union as soon as it resolved its remaining trade differences with Russia.

"Unfortunately some opposition politicians are trying to turn a peaceful expression of the people's will into a violent showdown," the PM commented, referring to the ongoing mass pro-European protests in the country.

He added that “law enforcement agencies have to curb such an attempt without any hesitation.”

Ukraine decided last week to put off the signing of long-discussed association and free-trade agreements with the EU.

The government said it could not afford to break ties with Moscow. Russia is trying to bring Kiev into its own customs union. -