Putin leans on Kiev as protests persist Russian President Vladimir Putin has delivered a stark reminder to Ukraine of its economic dependence on Moscow as Kiev continued to be shaken by protests over the government's decision to walk away from a planned agreement with the EU. Mr Putin, who played a central role in persuading Kiev to abandon the westward turn, pegged Ukraine's total debt to Russia at more than $30bn, citing loans from Sberbank, Gazprombank, VEB and VTB. We have been working and will work with Ukraine. Not at a loss, but we will work further in the energy and financial sector," he said, underlining the close economic ties between the neighbouring countries. Mr Putin also appealed to the EU to avoid "sharp words" against Russia after Brussels had accused Moscow of derailing the Ukraine deal. The struggle for Ukraine has escalated into an unusually tense EU-Russia stand-off. After months of negotiations, western diplomats had expected Viktor Yanukovich, Ukraine's president, to sign the EU agreement at a summit in Vilnius that begins on Thursday. His change of heart appears to have been forced by a mixture of incentives dangled by Moscow as well as a steady tightening of commercial pressure. With the EU deal on hold, some of those pressures appeared to be easing. Mr Putin's remarks followed an announcement by the Russian consumer protection watchdog that Roshen, the Ukrainian candy and chocolate maker whose exports to Russia have been blocked in recent weeks, was expected to be allowed to resume selling there. But the measures so far fall short of the economic and financial relief some analysts had expected for Ukraine from its decision to side with Russia. "If Ukraine does not sign the association agreement, Russia is more likely to provide Ukraine with direct external financing (eg, via Russian state-owned banks); indirect relief via charging lower prices for gas, Ukraine's largest import item; or other means to support Ukraine's external liquidity, such as easing access for exporters to the Russian market," Thorsten Nestman, an analyst at Moody's, wrote in a note on Monday. Mr Putin on Tuesday denied that Moscow had offered to review the contract under which Ukraine buys Russian gas. Earlier in the day, Mykola Azarov, Ukraine's prime minister, told foreign journalists that the two countries were in talks about a bailout and a reduction of prices on natural gas, although he added that those talks were proceeding with difficulty. He partly blamed the International Monetary Fund and Brussels for Ukraine's economic woes. Mr Azarov said on Tuesday that EU officials did not respond sufficiently to "signals" and pleas by his government in prior weeks for financial compensation to cover losses that would be incurred by lost trade with Russia. He said the final straw leading to his government's stunning decision last week to put off signing the EU agreements were tough conditions set by the IMF for a multi-billion-dollar bailout that, he added, was desperately needed to cushion an ailing economy amid Russian pressure. "Does the IMF not understand the economic situation Ukraine finds itself in?" he asked citing utility price rises, currency flexibility and restrained budget spending as loan conditions set by the Fund. An IMF official declined to comment. People familiar with its dealings with Ukraine have disputed such characterisations, and suggested that the IMF had remained consistent in its longstanding demands for reform. Mr Yanukovich still plans travel to Vilnius for the November 28-29 EU summit for consultations, but is unlikely to sign the historic agreements. As protests carried on in Kiev and other cities by activists and opposition politicians keen to keep up the pressure upon authorities to sign, Mr Azarov called for calm. "We do not want to become a football field between Russia and the EU," he said. He added that if tripartite talks between Ukraine, Russia and the EU were held and proved successful, then an agreement could be signed in spring 2014. But on the streets of Kiev and other Ukrainian cities, pro-EU protesters held firm in demanding for the agreements to be signed this week. They accused Mr Yanukovich's administration of trying to deflect blame and of plotting a shift back towards Moscow. Thousands of students from two Kiev universities called a strike, joining crowds that peaked Sunday at an estimated 100,000. "As the most decisive members of our society, it's up to us to start the revolution, which I think will happen if our president does not sign the EU agreements," said Iryna, an 18-year-old university student. From a human rights perspective, for example, the advantages of us moving towards the EU are obvious. The countries of eastern Europe went down this path. Now it's our turn.