An 11 p.m. on Feb. 18, an emergency meeting had been scheduled between President Viktor Yanukovych and the nation’s three opposition political leaders to resolve an escalating crisis that is bringing the nation closer to the brink of a civil war. But it was unclear whether the meeting would take place amid the ongoing violence on Independence Square.

The announced meeting came amid bloody clashes between anti-government protesters and Interior Ministry forces that are now centered on Independence Square in central Kyiv. Police closed in on the main square at 8 p.m. from along Institutska and Khreshchatyk streets.