Thousands of students in Kiev walked out of their classes and marched through the city centre to join a pro-European rally in the capital’s Independence Square.

It was part of a national strike by students across Ukraine. Their intention, they say is to remain on the streets until Friday when the Vilnius summit will begin. They have added their collective voice to calls for the government to sign the Association Agreement with the EU.

“We demand that the president signs the Association Agreement. We believe it is very important for students, we are the ones who will be living in this country. And we want to live in a European state, not some kind of Soviet Union,” explained one of the student protesters.

Our correspondent at the protest in Kiev said: “The students say they’ll get back to lectures as soon as they know the outcome of the Vilnius summit. If Ukraine doesn’t sign the Association Agreement they have not ruled out staying on strike indefinitely.”