The EU and the US are threatening targeted sanctions against Ukranian officials they hold responsible for the violence in Kiev that has killed at least 28 people and injured more than 200.



In a foretaste of the broader package of sanctions under consideration, the US announced on Wednesday that it had imposed visa travel bans on around 20 senior members of the Ukrainian government.

With EU on the cusp of joining the US on a much wider package of co-ordinated sanctions, the foreign ministers of France, Germany and Poland were scheduled to travel to Kiev on Thursday to meet Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovich and opposition leaders.



The trio will then return to Brussels for a special summit with EU foreign ministers to make a final decision about EU sanctions.

The White House has a further package of punitive measures against Ukraine ready to be implemented, but senior officials believe the most effective sanctions are likely to be introduced in collaboration with the EU.

The moves come as confrontations between anti-government protesters and police descended into the worst violence seen in Ukraine since the country was formed from the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Late Wednesday, Yanukovich announced what he said was a “truce” with opposition leaders, enabling “the start to negotiations with the aim of ending bloodshed, and stabilising the situation in the state in the interests of social peace”.

One of the opposition leaders, Arseny Yatseniuk, said in a separate statement: “A truce has been declared. The main thing is to protect human life,” he said. However US officials believe the situation is Kiev reamins extremely volatile and fear a further sudden deterioration in the city.

The measures being considered are understood to include further visa restrictions on senior Ukranian officials close to Yanukovich who are thought to be responsible for the violence, as well as the possible freezing of assets.

Barack Obama launched an attack on Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, who he said was failing to respect basic freedoms of the populace in his dealings with the leadership in Ukraine, as well as in Syria.

Obama, speaking at a North American leaders’ summit in Mexico, said: “You have, in this situation, one country that has clearly been a client state of Russia, another whose government is currently being supported by Russia, where the people obviously have a very different view and vision for their country.”

A senior State Department official said the “visa sanctions” announced on Wednesday were targeted against individuals deemed responsible for “ordering or otherwise directing human rights abuses related to political repression in Ukraine”.

“These individuals represent the full chain of command that we consider responsible for ordering security forces to move against [protesters]” the official added.

The official said the travel sanctions were limited compared to the “much broader and deeper” punitive measures that could be imposed through coordinated action with the EU.

German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president François Hollande both signalled on Wednesday that they would back possible sanctions. After the annual Franco-German cabinet meeting in Paris, Hollande said: “Those who are responsible for these deeds have to know that they will certainly be sanctioned.”

Merkel was more restrained, expressing shock at the scenes of violence but saying there was “no point in having sanctions that hit the civil population” and that “sanctions alone are not enough”.

She later spoke on the telephone with Russian president Vladimir Putin, and the two agreed to do “everything necessary” to avoid an escalation of the violence.

An anti-government protester carrying a tyre walks past a burning vehicle in Sadovaya Street. Photograph: ITAR-TASS/Barcroft Media Photograph: ITAR-TASS / Barcroft Media

Barack Obama, in brief remarks to reporters in Mexico, where he is attending an economic summit, warned Ukraine “there will be consequences if people step over the line”.



“The United States condemns in the strongest terms the violence that’s taking place,” the president said.

Obama said he holds the Ukrainian government “primarily responsible” for enabling peaceful protests in Kiev and warned Yanulovych’s government against involving the military in the dispute.

“I want to be very clear as we work through these next several days in Ukraine that we’re going to be watching closely and we expect the Ukrainian government to show restraint, to not resort to violence in dealing with peaceful protestors,” he added.

In Paris, US secretary of state John Kerry said Yanukovych faced a “choice for compromise and dialogue versus violence and mayhem”, and made it clear that sanctions were on the table. “We are talking about the possibility of sanctions or other steps with our friends in Europe and elsewhere in order to try to create the environment for compromise,” he said.

Appearing alongside Kerry, French foreign minister Laurent Fabius said his visit to Kiev, with his German and Polish counterparts, was to “gather the latest information before the meeting in Brussels”. Fabius and the two other foreign ministers will be accompanied by EU foreign minister Lady Ashton.

British prime minister David Cameron condemned the violence on “all sides”, but said Yanukovych had a “particular responsibility to pull back government forces and to de-escalate the situation”. He said: “President Yanukovich should be under no doubt that the world is watching his actions and that those responsible for violence will be held accountable.”

An anti-government protester sits near the barricades on Independence Square. Photograph: Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images Photograph: Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images

Senior EU officials stressed that no final decision had been taken on sanctions. However the Polish deputy foreign minister, Poitr Serafin, hinted that sanctions were likely. Speaking after the Polish prime minister took part in a conference call with other EU leaders, Serafin said there was now a “unity of views”.

“The events over the last 24 hours justify the decision of the European Union on sanctions,” he said.

Ben Rhodes, deputy national security advisor at the White House, said the administration would liaise closely with EU figures to determine the appropriate next steps. Last month, the US imposed some limited travel restrictions against Ukranian officials deemed responsible for the violence. Although the State Department is barred from revealing the identities of the sanctioned individuals, they are understood to include the Ukrainian interior minister, Vitaliy Zakharcheko, and up to 19 others.

However those sanctions were merely “a shot across the bows”, according to a source close to the administration. The package now under consideration is believed to be much broader, and would rely on EU co-operation.

Critics accuse large EU member states like Germany and France of failing to work out a coherent and pro-active strategy in their approach to the crisis in the Ukraine. Over the last few weeks the German chancellory and foreign ministry have appeared increasingly at odds over their stance on the crisis.

Damon Wilson, a former White House official who was closely involved in the introduction of US sanctions against Ukraine in 2004, said the punitive measures were likely to be directed at the coterie of allies and relatives close to Yanukovych who can be linked to the violence.

“We’re not talking about punishing the policeman on the street, but following the command until you reach the real decision makers,” he said.

Wilson, now at the Atlantic Council, said the US has been poised to ratchet up the pressure on Ukraine for weeks, but faced resistance from the EU. The violence in recent days appeared to have “shocked the EU system into action” and the White House was likely to want to capitalise on that shift, he added.

Ukraine’s brutal crackdown has caused deep alarm in the White House, but senior officials are privately sceptical about how much influence the EU and US can bring to bear, particularly in light of Russian support for Yanukovych’s government.



The situation in Kiev is raising parallels with western impotence in Syria, where Russian support for government suppression of opposition groups is proving equally hard for the US to respond to.



For its part, Moscow condemned opposition groups in Kiev on Wednesday, urging its leaders to “stop the bloodshed”. A statement released by the Russian foreign ministry underscored its commitment to the Ukranian government. “The Russian side demands that leaders of the [opposition] stop the bloodshed in their country, immediately resume dialogue with the lawful authorities without threats or ultimatums,” it said.

“Ukraine is a friendly brother state an a strategic partner, and we will use all our influence in order for peace and calm to reign,” the statement added.