Pro-European Union protesters in Ukraine have reinforced their position in the centre of Kiev, rebuilding barricades torn down by the police.
The government's decision not to sign a deal on closer EU ties last month, following pressure from Russia, sparked weeks of mass rallies.
But it now appears it will sign the pact, the BBC reports.
A protester confronts police guarding the office of President Viktor Yanukovych. Photo: AFP
The First Deputy Prime Minister, Serhiy Arbuzov, says the signing will happen soon.
Earlier, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said President Viktor Yanukovych had told her he intended to sign after all.
The BBC described the barricades at the main protest camp in Independence Square in the capital, Kiev, as bigger than ever on Thursday .
Protesters erected barriers of metal pipes and sand bags packed with snow to ward off any further attempt by the authorities to empty the square.
The Ukrainian government's handling of the pro-EU protests in the square has drawn criticism from both the European Union and the US.
Police moved into the main protest camp in Independence Square early on Wednesday, tearing down barricades and tents.
It prompted US Secretary of State John Kerry to express "disgust" at the government's treatment of a peaceful protest.
