LB.ua chronicles the latest events in Ukraine in English for foreign readers.
The last night was pretty quiet and passed without any incidents. There were around eight thousand protesters on Kyiv's Independence Square.
Some activists were resting in the buildings of Kyiv's City Hall and House of Trade Unions as well as in tents set in Maidan. Besides some people were cleaning the territory of the central square, a few people were playing chess and soccer, and others were singing and dancing.
During the night the police did not show any activity against the protesters.
At 7 am people traditionally sung the national anthem of Ukraine.
10:09. Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolay Azarov and the members of the ruling Party of Regions will discuss the political situation in the country and the need for the Verkhovna Rada to adopt a number of bills, including the 2014 state budget draft.
10:26. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton on Monday said that all concerns about Ukraine's signing an association agreement with the European Union may be withdrawn.
Yesterday EU enlargement chief Stefan Fuele said on Twitter that the European Union was putting on hold work with Ukraine on a trade and cooperation agreement because the arguments made by the Ukrainian government had "no grounds in reality".
10:36. Catherine Ashton said that the current political crisis in Ukraine should not adversely affect relations between the EU and Russia.
10:49. The Party of Regions demands Prime Minister Nikolay Azarov to reform the composition of the cabinet by 90%, said member of the ruling party Anna German.
10:51. Thousdand residents of Kharkov protested against the government of President Viktor Yanukovich.
10:58. Prime Minister Nikolay Azarov presented his fellow party members a draft agreement between Ukraine and Russia, which is expected to be signed tomorrow in Moscow by the two presidents, during President Viktor Yanukovich's visit to Russia.
12:05. Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich and his Russian counterpart President Vladimir Putin are expected to sign a substantial package of documents.
On Tuesday the presidents are expected to discuss a wide range of implementation issues of bilateral cooperation, especially in economy, trade, energy, aviation and space spheres, atomic energy, transport and cooperation in the humanitarian sector. Special attention will be given to the further development of cross-border cooperation between Ukraine and the Russian Federation.
12:34. "The EU should put pressure on Yanukovich", said Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn, commenting Fuele's statement on suspension of UE-Ukraine talks on the association agreement.
12:50. The Maidan protesters are planning to picket Central election commission (CEC) of Ukraine at 7 pm. The demonstrators oppose a full-scale election fraud in all five single-member districts. Earlier, the opposition party "Svoboda" said there was a massive election fraud in several districts and thus it won't recognize the results of the voting.
Yesterday Ukraine held vote on re-election of deputies of the Verkhovna Rada in single-member electoral districts number 94, 132, 194, 197 and 223. There were 151 participating candidates.
13:01. About 1000 residents of Rovno hold new anti-government rally at the local Independence Square.
13:22. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said he was "expecting lively debate" on the subject of Russia's position on the Ukrainian question.
He also called the decision to suspend negotiations on the signing of the EU-Ukraine association agreement reasonable, because the Ukrainian government should determine the format of European integration.
13:41. A group of deputies from the ruling Party of Regions offered Parliament speaker Vladymyr Rybak to create a group consisting of European politicians in the Verkhovna Rada in order to control over decision making to support the rule of law and constitutional order in Ukraine.
14:29. Ukraine and Russia will sign an agreement on the construction of a bridge across the Kerch Strait at talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich on Tuesday, December 17. The corresponding decree was posted on Monday on a website of the Council of Ministers of the Russian Federation.
15:40. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) documented a number of violations on re-election in all five single-member districts.
Members of the PACE delegation said they had been informed "about the misuse of administrative resources, increased role of financial resources, as well as a significant number of so-called "technical candidates" who never wanted to be elected". "Such conditions do not contribute to the trust of voters in the electoral process", says the PACE statement.
16:14. The EU will resume discussion on a trade and cooperation agreement with Ukraine once Kyiv clearly defines its intentions, said the head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine Ian Tombinsky.
According to the head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine, only "after signing an association agreement with the EU, it will be possible to discuss any financial instruments to support Ukraine".
16:33. Leader of the opposition party "Svoboda" Oleg Tyagnibok said that throughout Ukraine activists of the Maidan protest are massively called for questioning by the prosecutors, police investigators and the Security Service of Ukraine.
17:33. According to the press service of the opposition party "UDAR", the protesters decided to install a new Christmas tree on the Maidan in Kyiv.
Earlier this year Kyiv City State Administration decided not to install the Christmas tree on the Maidan because of the supporters of the European integration.
Read next: Ukrainian crisis: December 17th