Protesters hold portraits of Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovich during a demonstration in support of EU integration in KievBy means of Justyna Pawlak and Adrian Croft VILNIUS (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich vetoed last-minute attempts with the aid of the European Union to rescue a trade deal that will have been signed at a summit on Friday and would have signaled a historic shift away from Russia, EU diplomats stated. Under force from Moscow, Yanukovich abandoned plans ultimate week to sign the agreement, preferring nearer ties with Ukraine’s former Soviet grasp and dealing a blow to EU efforts to build nearer relations with its jap neighbors. As EU leaders gathered on Vilnius on Thursday for a summit with six international locations in jap Europe and the southern Caucasus, officers from the EU and Ukraine tried to determine a last-minute compromise that will have allowed Yanukovich to signal the trade deal in the close to future. EU diplomats instructed Reuters a preliminary understanding had been reached, but Yanukovich had refused to log out on it.