KIEV: The Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has reached an initial agreement with the opposition to resolve the ongoing crisis following days of deadly clashes in the country, a statement released by the Ukrainian presidential press service on Friday said.
“The parties agreed on the initialling of an agreement to resolve the crisis,” the presidency said in a statement, adding that the sides were expected to sign the agreement at 1000 GMT.
The statement said that the agreement was reached after all-night talks between the president, the opposition, European Union (EU) foreign ministers and a Russian envoy. However, the statement did not provide any details of the agreement.
Meanwhile, at an emergency of the EU foreign ministers in Brussels, it was agreed that sanctions would be imposed on the Ukrainian officials responsible for violence and excessive force.
In a statement‚ they said that targeted sanctions including asset freezes and visa bans would be introduced as a matter of urgency.
The EU foreign policy Chief Catherine Ashton said after the meeting that ministers had expressed their dismay at the latest violence and agreed to suspend export licences for equipment for internal repression.
The Ukrainian health minister said that nearly 77 people have been killed and more than 500 injured since the latest round of violence that broke out on Tuesday night.
