Tensions high in Ukraine after at least 21 die in fiery clashes

President Viktor Yanukovych will address the nation after meeting with the opposition, Yanukovych's advisers told local media. The exact time for the address has not been announced.
Opposition leader Vitali Klitschko went to Yanukovych's office for talks after hours of clashes Tuesday continued early Wednesday. But the meeting failed to produce a breakthrough. Klitschko said the president demanded protesters "stop the standoff" and drop weapons that Klitschko said they didn't even have. "I think the authorities should immediate pull back the police and stop the blood, because people are dying," Klitschko said, according to his Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reforms party. "I told Yanukovich this. How can we negotiate when there is blood being spilled? Unfortunately, he does not understand it." The fresh violence in Kiev comes amid monthslong turmoil in what is essentially a fight over whether the country's future is alongside Russia or Europe, the latter favored by protesters, Kazinform quotes CNN. Police confirmed the unrest has spread outside the capital of Kiev to western Ukraine, with protesters attacking police and local government offices in a number of regions. Explosions ruptured the night air, but it was unclear whether they emanated from protesters' fireworks or a police action. Protesters fed several fires by tossing wood upon the bonfires in Independence Square, which was under the demonstrators' control. Hundreds of protesters formed human chains passing bricks, rocks, wood -- any projectile for front lines -- and built barricades against a potential police offensive as Tuesday night became Wednesday at Independence Square, located about three blocks from parliament. In those post-midnight minutes, Ukrainian security forces advanced against some barricades and used stun grenades and water cannons against protesters. Once police gained some ground, they relented and eased. Protesters in the heart of Independence Square threw rocks at police. With more than 40 police officers injured in clashes with protesters favoring a European Union pact, ominous warnings were issued by Kiev officials and the U.S. Embassy. City Hall officials warned residents to stay away from the city center "to avoid casualties," and the U.S. Embassy said Ukrainian security services "may take extraordinary measures" following the fiery violence. The U.S. Embassy "advises all citizens to maintain a low profile and to remain indoors tonight," the mission said Tuesday. In addition to nine police officers, the 21 people dead included 11 protesters and an employee from the ruling party's headquarters, officials said. Read more