Deutsche Welle
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has met with opposition leaders following a violent outburst that left three people dead. Meanwhile, ex-Prime Minister Tymoshenko has called on Ukrainians to sustain the "fight."
Initial reports on Wednesday evening indicated that Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych had met with several opposition leaders for three hours.
Several hours after the meeting, opposition leader and former-boxer Vitaly Klitschko said neither side had reached an agreement.
"We must do all we can to stop [the police from] clearing us out," Klitschko told protesters on Kyiv's Independence Square. "Tomorrow if the president does not respond...then we will go on the offensive."
The sit-down between the two sides came , the first deaths since demonstrations calling for the resignation of Yanukovych's government erupted in November.
Two people died from gunshot wounds during an early-morning raid by police on a barricaded protest camp in downtown Kyiv, according to the Prosecutor General's Office. It was not immediately clear if they had died from live ammunition or rubber bullets.
The third death occurred when a man - reportedly being chased by police - fell to his death.
Television footage on Wednesday showed continued violence with fires blazing on Kyiv's Independence Square and shield-carrying policemen batting away protesters from the snow-covered streets. Protesters engaged in the clashes pelted security forces with stones and molotov cocktails.
The news agency AFP reported that at least 300 people had been wounded on Wednesday as clashes continued throughout the day, quoting the coordinator of the opposition's medical center, Oleg Musiy.
Yanukovych's decision to forego entering a trade agreement with the EU in November sparked mass protests from citizens who feared the move signalled his wish to foster stronger trade ties with Russia instead. The opposition has been calling for his government's resignation.
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Ukraine President Yanukovych meets with opposition after deadly clashes
Rahvusvahelised uudised | 22 Jan 2014 | EWR
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