Ukrainian officials failed to turn up to sign a deal Wednesday that could open a natural gas supply route via Slovakia, according to several people familiar with the situation, raising concerns that Kiev was walking away from an agreement the European Union spent months brokering. The gas deal would have opened up a major gas supply route to Ukraine that could have significantly reduced Kiev’s dependence on Russian supplies. The EU had hoped the deal would encourage authorities in Kiev to sign onto an EU trade and political deal. Though President Viktor Yanukovych’s government said two weeks ago that it was putting that trade pact on hold, the gas agreement remained on the table. Ukraine has for years sought cheaper gas from Russia without success, but importing gas from the EU via Slovakia would give it access to large volumes at what Ukraine says would be a lower price. […]