France's FM Fabius to meet Ukraine opposition leader Klitschko
French Foreign Affairs Minister Laurent Fabius has officially invited Ukrainian opposition leader Vitali Klitschko for talks in Paris on Wednesday. The former world boxing champion is leading protests aiming to topple President Viktor Yanukovych.
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"I will officially receive Mr. Klitschko at the Quai d'Orsay [foreign ministry headquarters] on Wednesday," Fabius told France 3 television, as hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians rallied in Kiev against Yanukovych and for the association agreement with the European Union that his government has refused to sign.
"We are in favour of the signing of an association agreement between Ukraine and the European Union. The president doesn't want this and so now it is up to Ukrainians to decide," Fabius said.
Klitschko, a former world heavyweight boxing champion, entered politics during the 2004 pro-Western Orange Revolution, being elected to the Kiev city council two years later but failing in a bid to become mayor.
In 2010 he founded the Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform (Udar), which came third with 15 per cent of the votes in the 2012 general election.
He has announced his intention to stand for the presidency in 2015.
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