Ukraine crisis: Yanukovych offers jobs to opposition Published duration 25 January 2014

media caption Police are spraying protesters with water which quickly freezes their clothing, says Steve Rosenberg

Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovych has offered the post of prime minister to opposition leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk.

He also offered former boxer Vitali Klitschko the position of deputy PM.

In response, the opposition leaders did not explicitly say whether they accepted the offer, but repeated their demands for new presidential elections.

The offer came after talks on Saturday with the opposition in a new effort to end the deadly unrest that has spread across the country.

The protests began in November after Ukraine decided not to sign an accord on more co-operation with the EU.

Instead, the government opted to deepen ties with neighbouring Russia.

Addressing a crowd of tens of thousands in Kiev's Independence Square on Saturday evening, along with other opposition leaders, Mr Yatsenyuk gave no clear answer to the president's offer, but did say the opposition was prepared to take on responsibility.

The politician is the parliamentary leader of the country's second biggest party, Fatherland, and an ally of the jailed ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

Mr Klitschko, the leader of the Udar (Punch) movement, told the crowd that the opposition would not yield in its demands for elections to be held this year. A vote is not due until 2015.

Offer of debates

The crisis in Ukraine escalated this week when two activists were killed, and another was found dead with torture marks in a forest near the capital.

A fourth, 45-year-old protester is said to have died in a Kiev hospital on Saturday from injuries sustained in earlier violence.

In a statement published on the government's website, Justice Minister Olena Lukash said the president had offered public debates with Mr Klitschko "in order to ensure a wide public dialogue", and that Mr Klitschko had agreed.

In addition, Mr Yanukovych has said he is ready to amend the constitution to reduce the president's powers, Ukrainian media report.

image copyright AP image caption The opposition leaders repeated their demands for fresh presidential elections

image copyright AP image caption The situation in Kiev remained tense on Saturday after further clashes between protesters and riot police

'Extremist' accusation

Earlier, Ukraine's interior minister said talks with protesters had failed.

Vitaliy Zakharchenko - in charge of the police and one of the figures most despised by the protesters - blamed "radical groups" for the unrest, adding that protesters had arms.

"We will consider those who remain on the Maidan [Independence Square] and in captured buildings to be extremist groups," he said

"The events of recent days in the Ukrainian capital showed that our attempts to peacefully resolve the conflict without resorting to forceful opposition remain futile," he added.

Although the protest movement - the "EuroMaidan" - is largely peaceful, a hardcore of radicals have been fighting pitched battles with police away from the main protest in Maidan.

image copyright Getty Images image caption Orthodox priests have been urging security forces to refrain from using violence

image copyright AFP image caption The government has said peaceful negotiations had yielded no results, blaming the violence on "extremist" groups

image copyright AP image caption The protests are taking place amid snowfall and freezing temperatures

Mr Zakharchenko accused the opposition of no longer able to control "radical forces" and of putting civilians in danger.

He also said that activists had shot a police officer and kidnapped three others - allegations denied as "false and dangerous" by protest leaders.

Later on Saturday, Mr Zakharchenko said protesters had released two officers, who were subsequently sent to hospital. Protesters called his words a provocation.

On Friday protesters seized a number of government buildings in Ukrainian cities outside Kiev, particularly in the west, which has traditionally favoured closer ties with Europe, including in the cities of Chernivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lutsk and Lviv.