Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has fired what is seen as a veiled threat in the direction of the European Union and the US over their stance on Ukraine.

He was answering questions in Luxembourg after he had held talks with his counterpart there Jean Asselborn.

“We agree with our Luxembourg partner that it is dangerous and counterproductive to try and force upon Ukraine a choice based on the principle of : ‘You are either with us or against us’. Ukraine has to be part of a global European family in the full meaning of the term,” he told reporters.

EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton is still in Kyiv where she is in talks on providing financial and political support for Ukraine’s new leaders.

Meanwhile French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius speaking on French television said nobody was trying to force a choice on Ukraine.