Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych called opposition protests during his visit to the western Ukrainian city of Lvov a display of democracy, the presidential press service said on Thursday
"We live in a democratic society and should respect that in our work," Yanukovych said at a local government meeting.
Thousands of people gathered outside the government building, where the meeting was taking place, both in protest against and in support of the president.
Supporters of the nationalist All-Ukrainian "Svoboda" [Freedom] organization attempted to break through police cordons.
The president said he was not troubled by the discontent in the west of the country.
"On the whole, I think people in the Lvov region are very positive about our meetings and our work," he said.
Yanukovych is hugely unpopular in western Ukraine and won only 8.6% of the vote in the Lvov region in the February presidential elections. His rival ex-premier Yulia Tymoshenko won 86.2%.
KIEV, May 27 (RIA Novosti)
