| Author (Corporate) | Council of the European Union |
|---|---|
| Series Title | Press Release |
| Series Details | PRES/13/86 (20.02.14) |
| Publication Date | 20/02/2014 |
| Content Type | News |
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European and wider international reaction to the protests and actions of the government in the Ukraine on the 19 and 20 February 2014. In Ukraine, President Yanukovych agreed on a truce with the opposition leaders on the 19 February 2014, but it only lasted for some hours with a resumption of hostilities and the death toll rising significantly again on the 20 February 2014. Anti-government protesters regained control of Independence Square and the situation on the ground deteriorated with hundreds of casualties. At least 39 anti-government protesters and one policeman died in Kiev on the 20 February 2014. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his counterparts from France and Poland, Laurent Fabius and Radoslaw Sikorski, visited Ukraine on the 20 February 2014 and met President Yanukovych and other government officials (and separately opposition leaders). Following this, EU Foreign Ministers met for a special Council meeting in Brussels, 20 February 2014 to discuss the situation in Ukraine with EU High Representative Catherine Ashton. The United States had already stepped up pressure on the previous day by imposing travel bans on 20 senior Ukrainian officials. The Council said that the EU was alarmed and appalled and deeply dismayed by the deteriorating situation in Ukraine and in light of that, it decided as a matter of urgency to introduce targeted sanctions against those responsible for human rights violations, violence and use of excessive force. |
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| Source Link | http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/141113.pdf |
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| Countries / Regions | Europe, Russia, Ukraine |
