Around 300,000 Ukrainians rallied on Sunday to demand closer Western integration after the European Union abruptly suspended historic partnership talks because of the government’s continued courtship of Russia.

US Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday appeared to give Afghan President Hamid Karzai extra time to sign a long-awaited bilateral security agreement, saying the deal did not have to be signed by January.

At least 200 000 pro-EU protesters have gathered so far and others continue flocking to downtown Kiev to rally against the Ukrainian government. 

French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault on Sunday began a three-day visit to Algeria to boost bilateral economic cooperation between the two Mediterranean countries.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai arrived in India Thursday for a four-day visit, with Washington hoping New Delhi can persuade him to sign a deal allowing US troops to stay on post-2014. Karzai is scheduled to meet Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The US state department has said it is considering all options, including sanctions, towards Ukraine as the political crisis there continues.

The United States and Britain have suspended all non-lethal assistance into Northern Syria, citing concerns that the equipment could end up in the hands of al-Qaeda-linked fighters.

The EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has revealed that Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych intends to sign a deal for association with the EU after all.

French soldier’s mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) is likely to last more than the scheduled six-month-period to restore security, French defense minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Wednesday.

European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy Stefan Fule on Monday addressed the European Parliament that the European Union (EU) is standing ready to help and support Ukraine.