Ukraine protest leaders sign deal with government
The breakthrough was confirmed in a tweet from the German foreign office: "After talks with [foreign minister Frank-Walter] Steinmeier, Maidan's civic council [the protest leadership] decided to mandate opposition leaders to sign agreement."
Ukrainian opposition leader Oleh Tyahnibok confirmed the protest council had reached an agreement with the acting minister of interior to resolve the crisis, in which 100 people are thought to have been killed in the last three days, according to The Guardian.
Poland's foreign minister, Radek Sikorski, was caught on video telling a protest leader: "If you don't support this deal you will have martial law, the army. You'll be dead."
Herman Van Rompuy, the president of the European council, welcomed the deal in more diplomatic terms with a tweet: "#Ukraine: welcome the agreement; necessary compromise, launch of indispensable political dialogue for democratic, peaceful way out of crisis." The agreement, published in full on the German foreign ministry website, states that presidential elections should be held no later than December and says the authorities will not impose a state of emergency on condition that the authorities and opposition refrain from further use of violence.
The sides have also agreed that an investigation must be launched into the acts of violence committed, under joint monitoring from the Ukrainian authorities, opposition and the Council of Europe.
European mediators have been cautious in welcoming Russian-backed Yanukovych's claims of success following a series of concessions to pro-European protesters, including an agreement to hold early elections by December.
In a statement published on the presidential website, Yanukovych said: "There are no steps that we should not take to restore peace in Ukraine." He said the country would revert to a previous constitution under which the president has less authority.
The Germans said the talks had been "very difficult", continuing all night and stopping for a break after 7am. Sikorski also voiced scepticism that a deal had been reached that could resolve the crisis. He said Ukraine was at a "delicate moment" and "all sides need to remember that compromise means getting less than 100%".
It is not clear whether protesters will accept the deal as it stands. Anton Solovyov, 28, an IT worker in the central square, said: "This is just another piece of paper. We will not leave the barricades until Yanukovych steps down. That's all people want."
After the worst bloodshed in the country's 23 years of independence, Kiev awoke to a bright, sunny and peaceful day, with the city centre firmly in the hands of the anti-Yanukovych protest movement, and the riot police - ubiquitous until Thursday morning - barely to be seen. It was not long, however, before shots rang out through Independence Square as police clashed with protesters.
"Participants in the mass disorder opened fire on police officers and tried to burst through in the direction of the parliament building," a police statement said.
The opposition leader Arseny Yatsenyuk, speaking in the parliament building a mile away, said armed police had entered the premises, but the deputy speaker said they had been forced out.
Thousands remained on Independence Square, or Maidan, after police pitched battles on Thursday. The protesters have vastly expanded the area of the city centre under their control and have quickly built huge barricades and reinforced positions to keep the security forces at bay. There was no let-up in the speech-making, singing and praying led from the stage at the centre of the square.
