Ukraine parliament fails to break Tymoshenko deadlock

KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's parliament failed to break a deadlock on Tuesday over freeing jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko, with deputies openly recognising that a landmark trade deal with the European Union may not be signed as scheduled next week.

With the EU demanding Tymoshenko's release as a condition, deputies from the ruling party and opposition accused each other of undermining prospects for the trade and cooperation agreement, which would mark a historic westwards shift by Ukraine away from Russia.