Ukrainian president meets EU commissioner over political crisis

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych on Wednesday met with European Union (EU) Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan Fule to discuss ways out of the political stand-off in the East European country, the presidential press service said. During the talks, Yanukovych praised the active role of the EU in resolving Ukraine's crisis and emphasized the importance of an objective and impartial evaluation of internal political processes in the country, said the statement. Both sides are said to have underlined the need for resolving the ongoing crisis through inclusive dialogue between the authorities, opposition and civil society, and stressed the importance of avoiding violent and extremist actions and respecting human rights to ease the political tensions in Ukraine. On Tuesday, Fule met Ukrainian opposition leaders to hear their position on possible methods to overcome the crisis, which was triggered by anti-government protests. Rallies in Ukraine began last November protesting the government's decision to suspend the signing of political and trade deals with the EU, in favor of keeping closer ties with Russia instead. Discontent intensified on Jan. 19, when protesters attacked police with sticks, fireworks and petrol bombs. At least four people were killed during the unrest and hundreds of others, including police officers, were injured.