The European Union still hopes to sign an association agreement with Ukraine and to make progress at the association negotiations, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said.

She told reporters in Vilnius it was up to Ukraine to decide but that the door to the EU remained open because that was important for both Europe and Ukraine.

Ashton added that they truly expected to make progress as soon as possible.

She said also that the European side had productive negotiations with Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych at the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius.