Kyiv protest group to withdraw if activists released
KYIV, Ukraine — A key faction of Ukrainian anti-government protesters on Monday said they would vacate occupied territory in Kyiv in exchange for the release of detained activists.
The news comes two days after a law granting amnesty to rally participants after they vacate administrative buildings was passed by Ukraine’s parliament in an attempt to defuse two months of political chaos and civil unrest.
The amnesty, which has a 15-day deadline, has yet to be implemented. Protest leaders last week refused to meet the key condition of retreating from government buildings.
Leaders of the so-called Right Sector, however, agreed Monday with Interior Ministry and Security Service officials to vacate Hrushevsky Street and the Kyiv city administration buildings if more than 100 activists are released from prison in the coming days.
During the past two months, the Right Sector has emerged as a powerful force within the broader Ukrainian protest movement, parading the city center with baseball bats and camouflage uniforms.
If the agreement between the protest group and the government holds, the Right Sector would give up two symbolic territories that they have occupied since the mass protests began in November.
Other opposition groups, including Vitaly Klitschko’s Udar (punch) party, have yet to make concessions in relation to the amnesty.
Klitschko said he would meet Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych for another round of talks Monday, adding that he would reiterate demands for early elections and a new constitution that limits presidential powers.
Klitschko and rival opposition leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk last week refused an offer by Yanukovych to become prime minister and deputy prime minister respectively.
The anti-government protests broke out in November after Yanukovych backed out from a planned trade agreement with the European Union in favor of closer ties with Russia.
The EU indicated Monday it could offer more aid to Ukraine on the condition that a transitional government pursues reforms.
EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said the bloc was prepared to increase its $200 million annual financial assistance to Kyiv if the planned association agreement is implemented.
The notion however that the EU would “pay” if Ukraine signed the agreement was misguided, Barroso said.
Earlier on Monday, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said Brussels and Washington were working on a financial plan for Ukraine if a new Ukrainian government pursues economic and political reform.
Ashton is scheduled to return to Kyiv for talks with the government and opposition on Wednesday.