Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich has postponed a scheduled visit to Malta next week, the government said.

Mr Yanukovich, who was due in Malta next week, uploaded a statement on his presidential website sciting his need "to focus on domestic political issues" for the postponement.

Mr Yanukovich, who finished a four-day visit to China today and was reported to be heading for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi, faces turmoil in Kiev over his government's suspension of a landmark trade pact with the European Union.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.