Ukraine pres. willing to hold early vote: Polish PM

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has moved closer to holding early elections in what seems to be a major concession to anti-government protesters.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced the news on Thursday, after a meeting with the Ukrainian leader in Kiev that included French, German and Polish foreign ministers, AFP reported.

“Among other things it was agreed with Yanukovych that there was a willingness to hold early elections this year, both presidential and parliamentary,” Tusk told reporters.

Tusk added that Yanukovych was willing to form a national unity government in the next 10 days and to change the constitution before the summer.

Yanukovych’s decision to finally respond to one of the opposition’s main demands came soon after European Union foreign ministers agreed to impose sanctions on Ukrainian officials “responsible for violence and excessive force” against pro-EU protesters.

On Thursday, Russia, Germany and the United States called for an urgent political solution to the crisis in Ukraine as violence in the country continues to escalate.

The German government announced the news after German Chancellor Angela Merkel, US President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin talked on the phone about the situation in Ukraine.

“The chancellor and the presidents have reached an agreement to call for a political solution to the crisis in Ukraine as quickly as possible and for an end to the bloodbath,” the German government said in a statement released after the phone calls.

Meanwhile, deadly clashes between anti-government protesters and Ukrainian police continued on Thursday.

The clashes continued despite the announcement of a truce between President Yanukovych and the main opposition leaders a day earlier.

According to the country’s Health Ministry, at least 75 people, including police officers, have died since the latest round of violence broke out on Tuesday.

Ukraine has been rocked by anti-government protests since Yanukovych refrained from signing an Association Agreement with the EU on November 29 last year in favor of closer ties with Russia.