Ukraine truce shattered, death toll tops 50



(Read more: Ukraine President agrees truce with opponents)

Source: Tanya Zherdieva




Shortly after 9 a.m. (0700 GMT), the protesters advanced to a line closer to Yanukovich's office and parliament. Television showed activists in combat fatigues leading several captured, uniformed policemen across the square. Both sides have accused the other of using live ammunition.

The foreign ministers of Germany, France and Poland were expected to present Yanukovich with a mixture of sanctions and enticements to make a deal with his opponents that could end the bloodshed.


Pro-EU activists have been keeping vigil in the square since the president turned his back on a trade pact with the bloc in November and accepted financial aid from Moscow.









Responding cautiously, U.S. President Barack Obama deemed the truce a "welcome step forward", but said the White House would continue to monitor the situation closely to "ensure that actions mirror words".


"Our goal is to make sure that the people of Ukraine are able to make decisions for themselves for the future," he said.

At the Winter Olympics in Sochi, being hosted by Russia, some members of Ukraine's team have decided to leave, the International Olympic Committee said on Thursday.

Combative mood



"These are not people. They are killers. Sanctions will not help. They all should be sent into isolation in Siberia." Serhiy, a 55-year-old from the western city of Lviv who declined to give his surname, added: "It is bad that Ukraine is already broken into two parts. In the west the police and army are with us but in the east, they are against us. "It is the 'Yanukovichers' who are dividing us."




The health ministry revised upwards the death toll in Tuesday's violence to 28 as of 6 a.m. on Thursday - three hours before the latest violence and the 15 dead counted by Reuters.


Reflecting Western outrage at the crackdown, EU ambassadors discussed a series of possible steps including asset freezes and travel bans, even though diplomats doubt the are effective.



Yanukovich excluded




The United States, going head to head with Russia in a dispute reminiscent of the Cold War, urged Yanukovich to pull back riot police, call a truce and talk to the opposition.

Obama warned the Ukrainian armed forces that the crackdown could damage "our defence relationship". But Washington appears to have little direct leverage in Kiev.



Putin's spokesman said on Thursday that Moscow was waiting for the situation to normalise before paying up. Ukraine's hryvnia currency, flirting with its lowest levels since the global financial crisis five years ago, weakened again on Thursday.

Possibly due to the risk of sanctions, three of Ukraine's richest entrepreneurs have stepped up pressure on Yanukovich to hold back from using force.

"There are no circumstances which justify the use of force toward the peaceful population," steel and coal magnate Rinat Akhmetov said in a statement late on Tuesday.


Viktor Pinchuk, another steel billionaire known in the West for his philanthropic activity, said: "A peaceful solution must be found. It is imperative to refrain from the use of force and find a compromise."

Dmytro Firtash, a gas and chemicals magnate who is part owner of a popular TV channel, said in a statement: We, through our joint actions, must end the bloodshed. We are against radical actions by whomever it might be."