Ukraine's embattled president today offered to make a top opposition leader the prime minister, but it was unclear if the overture would mollify the radical faction of protesters who have clashed with police for much of the last week.
A statement on President Viktor Yanukovych's website today said he had offered the country's No 2 job to Arseniy Yatsenyuk, an ex-foreign minister who had led efforts to integrate Ukraine with the European Union.
The offer, which also includes a deputy-premier post for Vitali Klitschko, another top opposition leader, appeared to be a substantial concession by Yanukovych to protester anger, which began in November when he ditched a long-awaited trade pact with the EU in favor of closer ties with Russia.
Protests grew after police violently dispersed two rallies, then anger boiled over into violence a week ago over harsh new anti-protest laws that Yanukovych pushed through parliament. Protesters have seized government buildings in scores of other cities in the European-leaning western part of the country.
The opposition has demanded that Yanukovych himself step down and call early elections, and there was no immediate comment from Yatsenyuk on whether he would accept Yanukovych's offer.
It came hours after the head of the country's police, widely despised by the opposition, claimed protesters had seized and tortured two policemen before releasing them. The opposition denied any such seizure and claimed Interior Minister Vitaly Zakharchenko was making a bogus claim in order to justify a police sweep against protesters.
Three protesters have died in the past week's clashes, two of them from gunshot wounds and a third of unspecified injuries. The Interior Ministry said a policeman was found shot in the head overnight. No arrests have been made or suspects named.
Protesters have rained stones and firebombs on police while officers retaliate with stun grenades and tear gas. Flames leapt high from barricade of burning tires today, but there was no obvious violence in Kiev's central Independence Square, known as the Maidan. Demonstrators milled about, many of them bearing clubs, metal rods and large sticks.
Yanukovych also agreed to discuss ways of changing Ukraine's constitution toward a parliamentary-presidential republic, which was one of the demands of the opposition.
If that change went through, the prime minister would have more powers and would be elected by parliament, not appointed by the president. Yanukovych backers currently have a majority in the parliament and the next election for the legislature is to be in 2017.
