Ukrainian administration fulfill all its crisis settlement obligations - Yanukovych
30 January 2014, 18:10
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych said the country's administration has fulfilled all its crisis settlement obligations, but the opposition continues to fuel the situation.
'We have fulfilled all obligations that the administration has assumed. The parliament has passed a law on amnesty, which guarantees the freedom of protesters and the release of the people who were detained during conflicts. However, the opposition continues to aggravate the situation, calling on people to stand in the freezing weather for the sake of the political ambitions of some leaders. I think it's wrong,' the president said in an address to the people of Ukraine posted on the presidential website on Thursday.
'We reached specific agreements with the opposition in the process of negotiations on the peaceful settlement of the conflict,' Yanukovych said.
The president also expressed concerns about 'the life and health of many people who were involved in the conflict by irresponsible politicians.'
'Each of us is asking ourselves: why are people suffering? Why are politicians not calling for peace, calm and understanding, but, on the contrary, fuel tensions even more by making unbalanced and irresponsible statements, thinking about their ratings more than about people's life and health?,' the president said.
'I am convinced that we should understand that the state and people have no future if the political interests of specific groups are put above the very existence of Ukraine [:] As far as I am concerned, I have a lot of understanding for people's needs and aspirations, bearing in mind the mistakes that every administration makes, because you don't make mistakes only if you do nothing. I believe we can make the life of Ukraine and all people peaceful and calm,' Yanukovych said.
US considers financial sanctions against opposition leaders and Ukranian gov't
The government of the United States is considering imposing financial sanctions against Ukranian authorities and protest leaders if the violence in the country continues, Reuters reports citing its sourse in the Congress.
According to him, sanctions were discussed with administration officials, and final details will be worked out in the nearest future.
President Barack Obama reaffirned support to Ukraine in his State of the Union address on Tuesday.
'In Ukraine, we stand for the principle that all people have the right to express themselves freely and peacefully, and to have a say in their country's future,' the president said.
Yet, it's still unknown why do politicians and western media call the protests peaceful as protesters don't restrict themselves from attacking police forces with clubs and Molotov cocktails when government forces were ordered not to use force against the people.
Russia has condemned foreign intervention in Ukrainian internal affairs. Krmlin could not understand why foreign diplomats in Kiev had advised Ukrainian authorities how to act and how to deal with opposition riots, calling that behavior 'unimaginable'.
Moscow has criticised protesters as extremists, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov condemning 'fascistic youth' and warning against external interference. Lavrov said that Russia 'stands for a political settlement within the framework of Ukrainian law and without external interference' and complained that 'the outrageous violence of fascist-like roughnecks is receiving no strict assessment from European structures,' the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
The Russian Parliament's upper house, the Council of the Federation, has voiced concern over the current situation in Ukraine in a statement that a full-scale meeting of the house adopted earlier Wednesday.
However, US lawmakers and Obama administration officials said they were encouraged by recent developments, including the Ukrainian parliament's vote to repeal anti-protest laws. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters the State Department has been willing to consider sanctions but no decision has been made.
Voice of Russia, Interfax, Reuters
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