Secretary of State John Kerry speaks during the Munich Security Conference at the Bayerischer Hof Hotel in Germany on Feb, 1, 2014. Pool/Reuters

Secretary of State John Kerry said on Saturday that the United States and European Union support the people of Ukraine in their pursuit of stronger ties with the West, and that they should not be coerced into accepting their future lay with one country — a reference to President Viktor Yanukovich's decision to renege on a cooperation deal with the EU under pressure from Russia.

The statement came as Kerry prepared to meet Ukrainian opposition leaders Vitaly Klitschko, Arseniy Yatsenyuk and Petro Poroschenko on the sidelines of a security conference in Munich, Germany, the same day.

The people of Ukraine are "fighting for the right to associate with partners who will help them realize their aspirations," he said.

"They have decided that means their futures do not have to lie with one country alone, and certainly not coerced. The United States and EU stand with the people of Ukraine in that fight."

During the meeting, Kerry "reiterated the United States' support for the democratic, European aspirations of the Ukrainian people, and the efforts of opposition leaders to speak out to defend democracy and choice for the people of Ukraine," according to a State Department official.

"He encouraged the opposition to remain united and peaceful and to continue discussions with the government."

The meeting and public show of support for the opposition was the latest from Western powers backing protesters, who have been camped in Kiev’s Maidan (Independence) Square since Yanukovich backtracked on a trade cooperation deal with the EU, and instead accepted a $15-billion loan package from Russia, two months ago.

However, Ukrainian opposition leaders urged U.S. and EU leaders on Friday to go beyond vocal support for their fight and demand a halt to violence they blame on Yanukovich. They have also called for the release of some 116 protesters taken into police custody during demonstrations.

"What we need is not just declarations but a very clear action plan — how to fix the problem and fix the violence, how to investigate all these killings and abductions and tortures," Yatsenyuk said.

The uncompromising standoff, which turned violent after Yanukovich passed a short-lived law barring protests in early January, prompted a rare intervention from the military on Friday.

The Defense Ministry urged the president, as commander in chief, to move swiftly and within the law to end the crisis.

"The military and the Ukrainian armed forces ... called on the supreme commander to take immediate steps, within the framework of the law, to stabilize the situation in the country and reach agreement with society," it said in a statement.

Earlier this week, Ukraine's first post-Soviet president, Leonid Kravchuk, warned that the country was on the brink of "civil war."

The military has emphasized its unwillingness to take sides throughout the unrest and seems concerned not to be drawn in.

In covering Friday's statement, a Defense Ministry news website quoted one retired admiral, Serhiy Rybak, recalling Ukrainian troops' roles in peacekeeping after civil wars abroad: "No political ambition is worth a drop of human blood," he said.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Friday in a statement on Twitter that he was "very concerned by attempts to involve the military in the crisis" and added that the "military must remain neutral,” but said he was encouraged by the eventual repeal of the anti-protest law.