Ukraine may be set for deal to end violence

 

Ukraine’s presidential administration said Friday that a preliminary agreement has been reached to bring an end to the political crisis that has rocked the country and will be signed later in the day, but Western diplomats involved in talks were more cautious about whether a settlement will be reached.

The presidential administration said on its website that a deal had been agreed upon and would be signed at noon local time (5 a.m. Eastern Time) following overnight talks between the government, opposition leaders and representatives of the European Union and Russia. 

“The parties agreed on signing an agreement to resolve the crisis,” said a statement on the presidential administration’s website. “The signing of the document is expected at noon at the presidential administration.” 

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, who was involved in the negotiations, along with the foreign ministers of Germany and Poland, said it was too soon to say if the deal would be successfully concluded. 

“We cannot say anything definitive before the end of the morning. When everything is not done, we must remain cautious,” he said in an interview with French radio station Europe 1.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was more blunt. “There is no deal yet,” he told the Polish parliament in Warsaw. 

The talks followed an outburst of violence that left scores dead and wounded in central Kiev. According to the government, the death toll for the week has climbed to 75, but opposition representatives put the total at more than 100.