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                Ukrainian Protesters Block Government Buildings

   Thousands of Ukrainian protesters blocked access to the country`s main
   government buildings Monday in an attempt to bring down the government
   of President Viktor Yanukovych over his refusal to sign a free trade
   pact with the European Union.
   Hundreds of people blocked the entrance to the Cabinet and central bank
   buildings in Kyiv Monday, a day after more than 100,000 protesters
   marched through the capital.
   Violence broke out Sunday when police used tear gas and flash grenades
   after some marchers tried to storm a government building. More than 200
   people were hurt.
   Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said Monday that the protests
   were "out of control" and had "all the signs of a coup."
   Ukrainian opposition leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk, meanwhile, told
   reporters that early elections are the only way to end the standoff.
   Also Monday, White House spokesman Jay Carney said the violence by
   Ukrainian authorities against protesters in Kyiv Saturday was
   "unacceptable." He said the United States certainly does not consider
   peaceful protests a coup attempt.
   United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on all parties in
   Ukraine to show restraint, avoid violence and open meaningful dialogue.
   European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso also called for
   restraint by both sides.
   Russian President Vladimir Putin, a key backer of Mr. Yanukovych, said
   the protests in Ukraine looked more like "pogroms than a revolution."
   The demonstrations have been growing since November 21 when the
   Ukrainian president backed out of the EU trade deal, saying the country
   needed to continue close ties with Russia.
   European news reports say the EU-Ukraine deal began unraveling in late
   October when Moscow demanded that cash-strapped Kyiv immediately make
   full payment of a nearly $1 billion natural gas bill, or face a gas
   cutoff as winter hits the region.
   OPTIONAL SOUND BITES:
   Arseniy Yatsenyuk, opposition leader (in Ukrainian):
   "The political way to resolve this political crisis is through early
   presidential and parliamentary elections. That`s a key demand not only
   from the Ukrainian opposition, but from the entire Ukrainian nation."
   Jose Manuel Barroso European Commission President:
   "We already said very clearly that Ukraine authorities should respect,
   of course, democratic freedoms and the right of people to demonstrate.
   At the same time we have made an appeal to demonstrators to show
   restraint, and of course this comes as a result of the fact that many,
   many Ukrainians see their future in Europe and they are disappointed
   with the result of the Vilnius summit. But we hope that the dialogue
   will continue and that calm will be respected and so that we can
   address these issues in a spirit that is good for Ukraine, for the
   citizens of Ukraine and for all of us in Europe."
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/ukrainian-protesters-block-government
   -buildings/1802163.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/ukrainian-protesters-block-government-buildings/1802163.html