综合一区欧美国产,99国产麻豆免费精品,九九精品黄色录像,亚洲激情青青草,久久亚洲熟妇熟,中文字幕av在线播放,国产一区二区卡,九九久久国产精品,久久精品视频免费

USEUROPEAFRICAASIA 中文雙語(yǔ)Fran?ais
China
Home / China / World

Ukraine truce short-lived as clashes revive

By Agencies in Kiev | China Daily | Updated: 2014-02-21 07:07

Fighting shifts EU's talks with Yanukovych as death toll hits 43

At least 21 civilians were killed in fresh fighting in Kiev on Thursday, shattering an overnight truce declared by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.

The interior ministry said on Thursday that anti-government protesters were holding 67 policemen hostage in the capital. Activists hurling gasoline bombs and paving stones drove riot police off a corner of the central Independence Square, known as the Maidan, and appeared to capture several uniformed officers.

Police responded with stun grenades.

The clashes erupted shortly before three visiting European foreign ministers were due to meet Yanukovych to push for a compromise with his opponents. The meeting was delayed for security reasons but began an hour late.

A Reuters photographer counted 21 bodies in civilian clothes in three places on the square, a few hundred meters from the presidency. That raised the death toll since Tuesday to at least 43.

'Shooting to kill'

A statement from Yanukovych's office said: "They (the protesters) went on the offensive. They are working in organized groups. They are using firearms, including sniper rifles. They are shooting to kill. The number of dead and injured among police officers is dozens."

Shortly after 9 am, the protesters advanced to a line closer to Yanukovych's office and parliament. Television showed activists in combat fatigues leading several captured, uniformed police officers across the square.

Both sides have accused the other of using live ammunition.

The foreign ministers of Germany, France and Poland were expected to present Yanukovych with a mixture of sanctions and enticements to make a deal with his opponents that could end the bloodshed.

"Black smoke, denotations and gunfire around presidential palace ... officials panicky," tweeted Polish minister Radoslaw Sikorski to explain the delay in the meeting.

Pro-EU activists have been keeping vigil in the square since the president turned his back on a trade pact with the bloc in November and accepted financial aid from Moscow.

Russia, which has been holding back a new loan installment until it sees stability in Kiev, has condemned EU and US support of the opposition demands that Yanukovych, elected in 2010, should share power and hold new elections.

In an apparent criticism of Yanukovych's handling of the crisis, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday that Moscow could only cooperate fully with Ukraine when its leadership was in "good shape", Interfax reported.

The crisis in the sprawling country of 46 million with an ailing economy and endemic corruption has mounted since Yanukovych took a $15 billion Russian bailout instead of a wide-ranging deal with the EU.

The US stepped up pressure on Wednesday by imposing travel bans on 20 senior Ukrainian officials, and EU foreign ministers were scheduled to meet in Brussels later on Thursday to consider similar measures.

A statement on Yanukovych's website announced an accord late on Wednesday with opposition leaders for "the start to negotiations with the aim of ending bloodshed, and stabilizing the situation in the state in the interest of social peace".

Responding cautiously, US President Barack Obama deemed the truce a "welcome step forward", but said the White House would continue to monitor the situation closely to "ensure that actions mirror words".

At the Winter Olympics in Sochi, being hosted by Russia, some members of Ukraine's team have decided to leave, the International Olympic Committee said on Thursday.

Protesters were in a truculent mood despite the overnight lull and columns of men, bearing clubs and chanting patriotic songs, headed to Independence Square at 8:30 am.

"What truce? There is no truce! It is simply war ahead of us! They are provoking us. They throw grenades at us. Burn our homes. We have been here for three months and during that time nothing burned," said 23-year-old Petro Maksimchuk.

AFP-AP-Reuters

 Ukraine truce short-lived as clashes revive

Smoke rises above burning barricades at Independence Square during anti-government protests in Kiev on Thursday. Vasily Fedosenko / Reuters

 

Editor's picks
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
铁岭市| 溧阳市| 磐石市| 河东区| 营口市| 阜宁县| 绍兴市| 尚志市| 佳木斯市| 鄂尔多斯市| 成武县| 平陆县| 凌云县| 凌源市| 枣阳市| 旬阳县| 二手房| 新干县| 社旗县| 桑植县| 梅州市| 南部县| 建湖县| 瑞金市| 泉州市| 肇州县| 晋江市| 青冈县| 皮山县| 大英县| 偃师市| 黄骅市| 德令哈市| 衡东县| 乌鲁木齐县| 株洲市| 丽江市| 临夏县| 金秀| 延川县| 堆龙德庆县|