| BBC News | - |
Foreign
ministers from France, Germany and Poland are to hold crisis talks in
Ukraine after deadly clashes this week. The talks with top government
officials and the opposition come before an EU meeting in Brussels to
decide whether to impose sanctions ...
Ukraine crisis: EU ministers to hold crisis talks in Kiev
The BBC's Daniel Sandford reports from Independence Square, where protests continue
Foreign ministers from France, Germany and Poland are to hold crisis talks in Ukraine after deadly clashes this week.
The talks with top government officials and the opposition
come before an EU meeting in Brussels to decide whether to impose
sanctions against Ukraine.At least 26 people died in the clashes between protesters and police in the capital Kiev on Tuesday and Wednesday.
On Wednesday evening, President Viktor Yanukovych and the main opposition leaders agreed a truce.
Ukraine's crisis explained - in 60 seconds
Fires have continued burning around the main protest camp, the Maidan, overnight, but no violence is reported.
Most of the victims died during the clashes near the parliament building in the capital and later police attempts to clear the Maidan on Tuesday - making it the bloodiest day since the unrest erupted in late November.
Thursday has been declared a day of mourning for the dead.
In other developments:
- President Yanukovych sacked the armed forces head, Col Gen Volodymyr Zamana, replacing him with the navy commander, Adm Yuriy Ilyin. No reason was given for the dismissal
- US President Barack Obama warned there "will be consequences" for anyone who steps over the line in Ukraine - including the military intervening in a situation that civilians should resolve. He also expressed hopes that the truce "may hold"
- Russia characterised the violence as an "attempted coup" by extremists
Barack Obama: "I've urged the military in Ukraine to show restraint"
The EU ministers will also hold separate talks with the opposition.
Ahead of the Kiev visit, Mr Fabius called the warring sides to "return to dialogue", condemning the violence as "unacceptable".
"Perpetrators of these acts cannot go without sanctions."
The three EU ministers will then fly to Brussels for a crisis meeting with EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and other EU foreign ministers, where the issue of sanctions may be discussed.
The Ukrainian opposition has been long pressing the EU and US to impose sanctions against senior government officials believed to be responsible for the violence against protesters.
Some protesters were praying on the Maidan, as a tense stand-off with police continued
The protests were not confined to Kiev - in Lviv in the west, protesters seized police headquarters
A portrait of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych burns near the destroyed security service building in Lviv
Meanwhile, the US state department announced on Wednesday it had imposed visa bans on 20 members of Ukraine's government.
A senior state department said all those were civilians whom Washington held responsible for the violence. The official declined to provide any names.
'Protect human life' Announcing the truce on late on Wednesday, the presidential statement said it was agreed to "start negotiations aimed at stopping the bloodshed, stabilising the situation in the country and achieving social peace".
Continue reading the main story
Key dates
- 21 November 2013: Ukraine suspends preparations for a trade deal with the EU, triggering protests
- 30 November: Riot police take action against protesters, injuring dozens and fuelling anger
- 17 December: Russia agrees to buy Ukrainian government bonds and slash price of gas sold to Ukraine, taking wind out of protest movement
- 25 December: Renewed outcry after anti-government activist and journalist Tetyana Chornovol is beaten
- 19 January: Protests take a violent turn as demonstrators torch police buses and throw petrol bombs; police respond with rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannon. Several die in following days
- 18 February: Bloodiest day of the clashes sees many civilians and police officers killed
It did not give details of what the truce would entail or how it would be implemented.
The opposition leaders present at the talks were Arseniy
Yatsenyuk and also boxer-turned-politician Vitali Klitschko and
far-right party leader Oleh Tyahnybok.Mr Yatsenyuk confirmed the deal had been reached, saying in a statement on his Fatherland party website that "the main thing is to protect human life".
The media wing of Vitali Klitschko's Udar party said the next round of negotiations with President Yanukovych would resume later on Thursday.
But a BBC correspondent in Kiev, Daniel Sandford, has urged caution, pointing out that none of the hardcore protesters have so far attended talks with the president.
The news came after the most intense violence in Ukraine's three-month crisis turned Kiev into a battle zone between anti-government protesters and riot police.
The protests first erupted when President Yanukovych rejected a landmark association and trade deal with the EU in favour of closer ties with Russia.
Since then, the protests spread across Ukraine, with the main demand of snap presidential and parliamentary elections.
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