News Manager
Milforums News Bot
By Gabriela Baczynska and Alissa de Carbonnel KIEV (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Ukrainians rallied in support of President Viktor Yanukovich in central Kiev on Saturday, separated by a line of riot police from anti-government protesters who have camped out for weeks in a nearby square. A day after talks between the government and the opposition failed to resolve the political crisis, Yanukovich's supporters waved the blue flags of his Party of Regions and chanted the president's name. "Yanukovich is our best prospect at the moment." Many others were arriving in Kiev for a mass opposition protest planned for Sunday, their anti-government fervor unlikely to be dampened by the president's dismissal on Saturday of two senior officials over police scuffles with protesters. Opposition demonstrators have been camping since November 21 in Independence Square - now known as the "Maidan", meaning "Square", or the "Euro-maidan" - in protest against Yanukovich's last minute refusal to sign an agreement bringing Ukraine closer to the European Union, in favor of stronger ties with Russia.More...