Even with Thursday's temporary cease-fire between protesters and riot police, meant to ease negotiations between President Viktor Yanukovych and opposition leaders, it was another difficult day in Kiev. Two months after the protests first began, in part over Yanukovych's decision to reject a deal for greater integration with Europe, they have again escalated. These photos tell the story of Thursday's pitched battles, as well as its quieter moments, with remarkable force.



Protesters gather near clashes with riot police. (Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters)



A protester pauses for a drink. (Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters/REUTERS)



Riot police push a police van destroyed by demonstrators. (Anatoli Boiko/AFP/Getty Images)



Opposition leader and former boxing champion Vitali Klitschko speaks with protesters. (Sergei Chuzavkov/AP)



Protesters gather in front of burning tires during clashes with riot police in Kiev. (Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters)



Protesters take cover from water spayed from a fire engine. (Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters)



Priests of different faiths pray at protests during clashes with police in central Kiev. (Sergei Chuzavkov/AP/AP)



Tires burn amid Kiev clashes. (Sergei Chuzavkov/AP)



Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych (second from left) meets with opposition leaders (Andrei Mosienko/AFP/Getty Images)



Protesters wave Ukrainian and European Union flags. (Sergei Chuzavkov/AP)



People gather near protests in Kiev's Independence Square (Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters)



A protester reels back to throw a stone at riot police during clashes (Vasily Maximov/AFP/Getty Images)



A protester wearing a gas mask stands amid burnt tires and garbage following clashes. (Volodymyr Shuvayev/AFP/Getty Images)



An Ukrainian woman stands with a white flag and an icon in front of the riot police line during a temporary truce. (Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA)



During the temporary truce with riot police, a protester removes ice from a tire, likely so that it will be ready to burn later. (Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA)



Protesters use a large slingshot to hurl a Molotov cocktail at police in central Kiev. (Sergei Grits/AP)



Riot police gather outside Independence Square in Kiev (Anatoli Boiko/AFP/Getty Images)



A protester takes cover behind a makeshift shield. (David Mdzinarishvili/Reuters)



Protesters gather overnight in Kiev. (Gleb Garanich/Reuters)



A protester shoots fireworks toward riot police during overnight clashes. (Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters)



A protester looks on through a visor to protect from smoke. (Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters)