KYIV – As many as 100,000 or more Ukrainians took to the streets of their capital, Kyiv, Sunday as the government refuses to speed along ties to western nations and the European Union.
A NATO spokesman said Sunday that “Tonight in Kyiv, many Ukrainians continue to show their strong support for their country’s closer relations with the European Union. It is the right of people everywhere to express their views in a democratic way.”
The NATO spokesman called on “all parties to refrain from violence and the use of force at all cost. Violence and force are not the way to resolve political differences in a democratic society. I urge everyone to proceed in accordance with constitutional and democratic norms. NATO fully respects all Ukrainians and the democratic ideals of the Ukrainian nation.”
According to BBC news, the protestors “are demanding new elections, and the impeachment of the president,” Viktor Yanukovych.
In the U.S, the State Department condemned alleged violence against the demonstrators.
“The United States condemns the violence by government authorities against peaceful demonstrators in Kyiv today. We urge Ukraine’s leaders to respect their people’s right to freedom of expression and assembly. These are fundamental to a healthy democracy and the respect for universal values on which the United States’ partnership with Ukraine depends.”
Ukrainians want their country out from under the old Russian sphere of influence and control. If their leadership does not deliver they could revolt – then does Russia arrive in force to “restore order”?
Only Putin knows.