Vice President Joe Biden urged Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych to bring clashes between security forces and protesters to a swift end Thursday, hours before the embattled leader reached a tentative breakthrough with opposition leaders over the increasingly violent two-month standoff.
A Ukraine opposition leader said the odds of violence coming to an end were good, after productive talks with Yanukovych, the BBC reports.”We had the task of halting the bloodshed. The chance [of this] is very high,” said Arseniy Yatsenyuk.
Biden had encouraged Yanukovych to compromise with protestors, warning that “further bloodshed would have consequences for Ukraine’s relationship with the United States,” according to a statement from the White House.
At least two protesters were killed Wednesday.The protests began when Yanukovych pulled out of a treaty with the European Union to forge closer links with Russia.
— Zeke Miller contributed reporting.