No major disruptions or violence have been reported from the demonstrations in Kiev over the past two days. There are still a substantial number of protesters behind the barricades they set up in the past few days that have physically separated them from the police. Isolated incidents are still occurring, such as when protesters peacefully took over the Agrarian Ministry building, but the large-scale violence from earlier in the week is noticeably absent at this time.
In the meantime, talks have intensified between the government and the opposition. Yanukovich met for the first time Jan. 22 with the three main opposition leaders: Vitali Klitschko of the Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform party, Arseniy Yatsenyuk of the Fatherland party and Oleh Tyahnybok of the Svoboda party. While the leaders gave Yanukovich 24 hours prior to the talks to meet their demands — the government's resignation and early elections — the meeting proved inconclusive and further talks were scheduled for Jan. 24.
Meanwhile, protests have spread beyond Kiev to several cities in the western and central parts of the country — traditionally areas that are more oriented toward Europe and opposed to Yanukovich's leadership. Protesters in this part of the country stormed a number of regional administrative buildings, including in Lviv, Zhytomyr, Ternopil, Rivne, Cherkasy, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi and Ivano-Frankivsk, and the Lviv governor reportedly submitted his resignation. Most of these buildings (with the exception of the one in Cherkasy) remain occupied, and the demonstrators have pledged solidarity with those protesting in Kiev's Independence Square (often called Maidan).
The government has refrained for now from declaring a state of emergency. However, Yanukovich has called an extraordinary session of parliament to be held Jan. 28 to discuss the "resignation of the government and those questions linked to laws passed by parliament," which are the main demands of the opposition. He also pledged to reshuffle the government next week. It is still unclear if Yanukovich will take those discussions seriously or if it is merely a stalling tactic.
External powers, particularly Russia and the West, have remained concerned by the events in Ukraine and have tried to shape the situation to fit their respective interests. EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Stefan Fule is visiting Kiev on Jan. 24, while EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton and a delegation of the European Parliament will travel to Ukraine early next week to meet with Yanukovich and opposition leaders. Talks between Ukrainian and Russian officials are also being held.
But before next week's extraordinary session of parliament and the visit by EU officials, the situation on the ground in central and western Ukraine will continue to be the most pressing issue. While demonstrations are relatively calmer in Kiev, they have tended to be at their largest volumes over the weekend and particularly on Sundays. Therefore, the situation remains potentially volatile, as opposition leaders and demonstrators continue to push Yanukovich into major concessions, while the president continues to weigh his options. Ultimately, it will be the government's decision to concede or crack down on the protests that will be the difference between a return to normal or more instability.
