Ukraine's Poroshenko signs EU free trade agreement

Foreign Secretary William Hague hailed an European Union agreement with Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova as a "great step forward for them and their democracies".

Ukraine's president said the country had paid the highest possible price for realising their "European dreams", following the violent protests against former leader Viktor Yanukovich in February.

Ukraine faces "grave consequences" from Russia for its decision to sign a trade agreement with the European Union, the deputy foreign ministry has warned.

Grigory Karasin's comments after Ukraine's president Petro Poroshenko agreed a three-year deal with the EU.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would take measures to protect its economy if it was negatively affected by Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova's agreements.

Read: Ukraine 'paid high price to realise European dreams'

Ukraine paid the highest possible price to realise its "European dreams", the country's president has said, as he signed an agreement with the EU.

Former president Viktor Yanukovich's decision to turn down an EU agreement last November in favour of closer ties with Russia sparked widespread protests and eventually led to his overthrow.

Russia subsequently annexed Ukraine's Crimea region, and pro-Russian separatists declared independence in eastern Ukraine.

"Over the last months, Ukraine paid the highest possible price to make her European dreams come true," Petro Poroshenko told EU leaders at a signing ceremony in Brussels.

Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko has signed a free-trade agreement with the European Union.

Georgia and Moldova also signed the deal, in a move Russia is likely to oppose.