Dnipropetrovsk - President Vladimir Putin of Russia met his embattled Ukrainian counterpart, Mr Leonid Kuchma, yesterday but kept his eyes firmly on trade and energy issues rather than a political scandal sweeping Ukraine.
The timing of the visit - after weeks of street protests calling for Mr Kuchma to resign - led some commentators to describe Mr Putin's trip as a show of support by the former colonial master, Russia, for Ukraine's leader.
The presidents met in what was once one of the Soviet Union's main nuclear missile factories in the south-eastern city of Dnipropetrovsk - which Mr Kuchma used to run - and signed trade agreements on aerospace, space and electricity.
Ukraine's slow economic reform has left it floundering behind faster European neighbours such as Poland, forcing it back into Russia's sphere, with which it does most of its trade.