Viktor Yanukovych. Photograph by Michael Wuertenberg/WEF
Ukraine’s President Viktor Yanukovych has agreed a truce with opposition leaders, with both sides looking to end the escalating violence of the last two days.
In a statement, Yanukovych said that a truce had been agreed and that negotiations would begin to “end the bloodshed and stabilise the situation for the sake of peace”.
Opposition leader Arseniy Yatsenyk confirmed the truce and said that there would be no new police advances on the main protest site in Independence Square, Kiev according to the BBC.
No violence has been reported since the announcement of the truce just before 23:00 local time (21:00 GMT).
The recent surge in violence over the last two days has left 26 people dead after police tried to clear protesters from Independence Square, known as Maidan, and stone-throwing protesters were met with rubber bullets and stun grenades from police.
The truce comes only hours after the European Union warned that they would push for sanction against top Ukrainian officials over the bloodshed and US President Barack Obama warned of “consequences” if either side “stepped over the line” and intervened.
