Barroso criticises Russian interference on Ukraine deal

European Union leaders have warned they will not tolerate Russian interference in their negotiations on closer integration with Ukraine and other Eastern European countries.

At the end of a summit in Lithuania, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said any third-party involvement in negotiations between the EU and another state was unacceptable.

Mr Barroso said: "What we cannot accept is a condition on a bilateral agreement to have a kind of a possible veto of a third country. This is contrary to all principles of international law."