World reactions to Ukraine violence mixed

The world's major powers have sent mixed reactions to deadly clashes between police and anti-government protesters in Ukraine. The European Union and the United States have threatened to impose sanctions while Russia accused the West of "double standards" and China called for impartiality. Escalating violence in central Kiev over the past three days have left 67 people dead and more than 500 injured. The sudden violent turn in the former Soviet republic's three-month-old political crisis aroused concerns of the international community. China called for the relevant parties in Ukraine to resolve disputes through consultations and dialogue. An objective, balanced and impartial stance must be taken by the international community to help restore political and social stability in Ukraine, China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Thursday. "Different countries should mutually respect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Hua said. She said China called for calm and restraint among Ukraine's different factions, and expected issues to be resolved through consultations and dialogue in the interests of the nation and the people. Russia, which wields heavy influence on Ukraine, urged the Ukrainian government to act more resolutely amid the current unrest and demanded the radical opposition stop violence. Russia on Thursday also criticized Western threats to impose sanctions on Ukraine as blackmail and double standards. "The (Ukrainian) opposition cannot or do not want to distance itself from extremists. The West led by Europe and the United States (should) assume all responsibility for the Ukraine situation," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. "They do not blame the extremists' acts, while threaten to impose sanctions. These are double standards," Lavrov said, adding sanctions will encourage rioters. EU foreign ministers on Thursday agreed to adopt sanctions against Ukraine, including asset freezes, visa bans and ban on exporting anti-riot equipment, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said. Ashton told a press conference at the end of the meeting that the violence in Ukraine should end immediately and that any further escalation should be avoided. She vowed that those who were responsible for human rights violations should be brought to justice. Italian Foreign Minister Emma Bonino told the press that all the restrictive measures will be imposed "in the next hours." The Unites States has urged Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych to "respect the rights of protesters to express themselves peacefully." Washington warned Yanukovych against resorting to the military to solve the conflict and asked him to immediately withdraw his security forces from downtown Kiev and resolve the conflict by political means. "We are outraged by the images of Ukrainian security forces firing automatic weapons on their own people," the White House said. The U.S. government was considering sanctions, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said in Paris earlier Wednesday. "All of us are deeply disturbed," said Kerry during a brief appearance in Paris. "We are talking about the possibility of sanctions or other steps with our friends in Europe and elsewhere in order to try to create the environment for compromise." Other countries also expressed their concerns over the worsening situation in Ukraine. Neighboring Belarus said it stood for a peaceful settlement of the political crisis in Ukraine in strict compliance with the constitutional and without external intervention. Belarusian diplomats drew attention to the assessment of the events in Kiev by Western politicians, who turn a blind eye to the extremist outrage, Belarusian Foreign Ministry spokesman Dmitry Mironchik said. Croatia and the United Arab Emirates have warned their citizens against traveling to Ukraine amid the ongoing turmoil in Kiev.