Ukraine's prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko, has today urged President Viktor Yushchenko's political party to return to the coalition government.
Earlier today, Mr Yushchenko today threatened to call an early parliamentary election after he said the country's coalition government had collapsed.
But Ms Tymoshenko said the coalition had been broken up by Mr Yushchenko, and that her party said it was not looking to join any new grouping.
Mr Yushchenko had accused Ms Tymoshenko of wrecking the ruling coalition by joining forces with his rivals.
Mr Yushchenko said in a televised statement that if a governing coalition could not be formed, "I will use my right to dismiss parliament and announce early elections."
He said Ms Tymoshenko had joined forces with the Regions Party of former prime minister Viktor Yanukovich - rival of both Mr Yushchenko and Ms Tymoshenko during the 2004 "Orange Revolution" - and the Communist Party.
Mr Yushchenko and Ms Tymoshenko, who took power together after the revolution, have been at odds over practically every policy.
The pro-Western Mr Yushchenko is hoping to steer his former Soviet republic of 47 million people towards Nato and EU membership.
Russia's military incursion last month into Georgia, which also aspires to membership of those two organisations, led to fears in the West that Ukraine might also be targeted by Moscow.
Mr Yushchenko, Ms Tymoshenko, and Mr Yanukovich are expected to stand in a presidential election due in about 16 months, and political analysts have seen the arguments between Ms Tymoshenko and Mr Yushchenko as political manoeuvring ahead of that poll.
Opinion polls have shown that if an election were held now, Mr Yushchenko's Our Ukraine party would lose seats, while both Ms Tymoshenko's bloc and the Regions party would make gains.
Reuters