Ukraine’s president Viktor Yanukovych has promised to reshuffle his government, free scores of protesters from jail and make other concessions after demonstrations against him spread from the besieged capital Kiev to nearly half of the country.
At a meeting with religious leaders, Mr Yanukovych vowed that a special parliament meeting next Tuesday will push through changes to his Cabinet, grant amnesty to dozens of jailed activists who are not guilty of serious crimes and will change harsh anti-protest laws.
The protest law enacted last week appeared to have backfired on Mr Yanukovych, sparking confrontations in which demonstrators threw stones and firebombs at police.
The violence was a harsh contrast to the peaceful anti-government protests that have gripped the country for two months.
At least two demonstrators were killed this week in clashes with police, and protesters have seized government offices in cities in western Ukraine, where support for Mr Yanukovych is thin.
Protests began in late November after Mr Yanukovych decided to shelve a long-anticipated economic agreement with the European Union and receive a bailout from Russia instead.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had pressed to keep Ukraine in his nation’s political and economic orbit while many urban Ukrainians had favoured closer ties with the EU.