Victor Yanukovych has said that he offered a high-ranking post in a future government to Front for Change leader Arseniy Yatseniuk at a meeting with him on Mar. 9. Korrespondent.net Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovych has said that he offered a high-ranking post in a future government to Front for Change leader Arseniy Yatseniuk at a meeting with him on Mar. 9, but the latter rejected the offer and declared his intention to go into opposition.

"I offered Arseniy Yatseniuk a high-ranking post in a future government that, I hope, we'll form in the next few days. But Arseniy Petrovych has rejected [my offer] and said that he should go into opposition," the presidential press service quoted Yanukovych as saying at a meeting with Yatseniuk on Mar. 9.

"I hope that this will be a constructive opposition that won't destroy the country," he said.

Yanukovych thanked Yatseniuk for an open letter submitted to him and said that his former opponent in the presidential election "understands that there's currently nothing more important than the consolidation of forces, both the government and opposition, for the sake of a joint battle against the crisis."

He said that he had understood after examining the letter that Yatseniuk "would not like to wait for 18 months until the next parliamentary elections, and that he preferred the option of fresh elections."

"But I cannot take such a step, because I have a very important task of tackling the crisis quickly and effectively and improving the lives of the people. And to do so, all branches of power should act as one team, systemically and quickly," Yanukovych said.