The third summit of the Eastern Partnership begins its work in Vilnius Thursday.

High representatives of member states of the European Union (EU) and six countries of the Eastern Partnership will attend the summit that will last until Friday November 29.

The big three from EU - German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande are arriving in Vilnius Thursday. They are expected to act in full unison to counter Russia's attempts to divert ex-Soviet countries from forging closer ties with the EU.

The third Eastern Partnership will bring together heads of EU Member States and those of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. The summit will be chaired by the President of the European Council, Herman van Rompuy, who, together with the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, will represent the European Union.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich announced he will attend the summit, just days after his government shocked European leaders and many of its own citizens by suddenly suspending signing a landmark trade deal with the EU and an Association Agreement, which would have paved the way for EU membership.

The decision led to mass pro-EU protest rallies in the capital Kiev, and in other cities such as Odessa and Lvov.

"Kiev wants to settle disputes about the Association Agreement with the European Union by having negotiations involving all three parties - EU, Russia and Ukraine - before the Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius," according to statements, made by President Yanukovych during his interview with five Ukrainian TV channels Wednesday evening.

The leaders of the Ukrainian opposition parliamentary factions, Arseniy Yatseniuk (Batkivschyna), Vitali Klitschko (UDAR), and Oleh Tiahnybok (Svoboda), are going to attend the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius to voice the opposition's viewpoint on Ukraine's association with the EU, the Kiev Post reports.

The opposition has joined the protests in Kiev. Former heavyweight boxing champion, Vitali Klitschko, who chairs the opposition Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform party (UDAR - Smash), has been particularly active and has urged pro-EU protesters to not give up

During the summit, the EU is expected to sign the framework agreement on Georgia's participation in EU crisis management missions, to initial the Association Agreements, including Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTAs) with Georgia and Moldova, to sign a visa facilitation agreement with Azerbaijan and to initial an aviation agreement (Common Aviation Area, CAA) with Ukraine.