The United States strongly condemns the increasing violence on the streets of Kyiv and will consider additional steps in response to the use of violence in addition to the revocation of visas of several Ukrainians.
Deputy Spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State Marie Harf said this in a statement issued on Jan. 22.
“The United States strongly condemns the increasing violence on the
streets of Kyiv, which has led to casualties and the shooting deaths of
two protesters. We urge all sides to immediately de-escalate the
situation and refrain from violence,” the statement reads.
The U.S. also urged the government of Ukraine to repeal the
anti-democratic legislation and to start a national dialogue with the
political opposition.
“The United States has already revoked visas of several people
responsible for violence, and will continue to consider additional steps
in response to the use of violence by any actors,” the State Department
said.
According to the U.S. Department of State, the increased tensions in
Ukraine are “a direct consequence of the Ukrainian government’s failure
to engage in real dialogue and the passage of anti-democratic
legislation on Jan. 16.”
“However, the aggressive actions of members of extreme-right group
Pravy Sektor are not acceptable and are inflaming conditions on the
streets and undermining the efforts of peaceful protestors. We likewise
deplore violence by unofficial groups known as ‘titushki’,” the
statement reads.
