Ukraine opposition issues ultimatum after deadly clashes

Ukraine opposition leaders have given the government until Thursday to "make a step forward" or faces the consequences after talks failed to resolve a deepening political crisis.

Speaking Wednesday after at least four people were killed and hundreds more injured in clashes between demonstrators and police, boxer-turned-politician Vitali Klitschko told protesters he would lead them in an "attack" if their demands for snap elections were not met.

Three hours of talks between President Viktor Yanukovych, Klitschko and two other opposition leaders on Wednesday had failed to give a clear response to their demands that the government be dismissed and sweeping anti-protest laws ditched, he said.

Klitschko, leader of the UDAR party, had met Yanukovych alongside Arseniy Yatsenyuk, of the Fatherland party and Oleh Tiahnybok, of the Freedom party, or Svoboda.

We did not receive any answers," he told demonstrators after the meeting.

"When we talked about canceling the new laws that make each of us here a criminal, we heard that maybe this can be a point of negotiations. I will be with the people. If I have to fight, I will fight. If I have to go under bullets, I will. I will stand up for the people, because I want to live in a different country."

He added, amid the chants of supporters: "If tomorrow the President does not make a step forward, we will attack."

Demonstrators have been rallying in the snowy streets of the capital Kiev since the weekend in protest against the laws that went into effect Wednesday.

Foreign governments voice concern

The head of the protest movement's volunteer medical service told CNN on Wednesday that at least four people had been shot dead and hundreds injured as demonstrators clashed with police over the new laws that limit the right to protest in the eastern European country.

Ukraine's Interior Ministry earlier said it was investigating a death, the circumstances of which are not clear. Local media reports suggest the man may have fallen from a statue or monument.

Washington has condemned the growing violence, particularly against journalists and peaceful protesters, and alongside the European Union, has urged all parties to exercise restraint and find a democratic solution to the political crisis.

The U.S. ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, tweeted Wednesday that he was "watching with sadness" the events in Kiev.

The U.S. Embassy in Kiev said in a statement that it has "revoked the visas of several Ukrainians who were linked to the violence" in response to actions taken against protesters in November and December.

"We are considering further action against those responsible for the current violence," it said.

Poland and Germany said their foreign ministers had spoken by phone to their Ukrainian counterpart, Leonid Kozhara, voicing their concern about the escalating violence.

Televised images on Wednesday showed ongoing clashes between police and protesters who've massed around barricades on Hrushevskoho Street, near the burned-out shells of police buses.

The Interior Ministry said Wednesday that more than 70 people have been detained since midday Sunday. Some 195 police officers had been injured and 84 hospitalized since the situation turned violent Sunday, it added.

Controversial law

The clashes are an escalation of weeks of largely peaceful public protests prompted by Yanukovych's decision in November to spurn a planned trade deal with the European Union and turn toward Russia instead.

The controversial new protest laws have sparked concerns they could be used to put down demonstrations and deny people the right to They include provisions barring people from wearing helmets and masks to rallies, from setting up tents or sound equipment without prior police permission, and from traveling in convoys of more than five vehicles without authorization.

A separate Interior Ministry order allowing riot police to use firearms came into force Tuesday, according to the official Ukrainian legislation website.

Ukraine's Institute of Mass Information, an organization promoting media rights and freedom of speech, said 36 journalists had been injured while reporting on the clashes in recent days.

Ukraine's national union of journalists called on the Interior Ministry on Wednesday to issue an order forbidding police to use violence against journalists.

Ukraine's future ties

In December, despite weeks of protest by anti-government demonstrators, Yanukovych agreed to a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin for Moscow to buy Ukrainian debt and slash the price Kiev pays for its gas.

The tumult in Ukraine goes to the heart of its future ties with Russia and the rest of Europe. Ukraine is split between pro-European regions in the west and a more Russia-oriented eastfree speech.

The protests have unfolded since November 21, when Yanukovych changed his stance on the EU trade pact, which had been years in the making.

The demonstrators say an EU agreement would open borders to trade and set the stage for modernization and inclusion. Ukraine's government says the terms needed to be renegotiated to protect Ukrainians better.