Ukrainian Foreign Ministry is hopeful that the international community will condemn the actions by members of far-right groups in Kyiv who have provoked clashes between protesters and riot police, thus putting people's lives in danger.
“The government of Ukraine is committed to making every effort in order to secure a peaceful settlement of this situation through dialogue. It also counts on the international community’s condemnation of the radical actions that provoked violent clashes and put citizens’ lives and health in danger,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a press release.
“Mass political assemblies were held in Kyiv on Jan. 19, 2014. The law enforcement agencies of Ukraine did not obstruct them in any way. At the same time, several radical activists took unlawful measures to which law enforcement agencies were duty-bound to respond. These unlawful measures proceeded amid multiple calls to stop them, including from individual representatives of opposition forces. Dozens of citizens, including a significant number of police officers, were injured in the clashes,” the ministry said.
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych instructed National Security and Defense Council Secretary Andriy Kliuyev to form a group made up of Cabinet and presidential administration officials as part of efforts to stop the violence and normalize the situation, it said.
