WASHINGTON, February 20 (RIA Novosti) – The United States on Thursday harshly condemned Ukrainian authorities’ reported use of automatic weapons against protesters in fresh clashes that have left dozens of people dead.
“We are outraged by the images of Ukrainian security forces firing automatic weapons on their own people,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement.
The statement came amid reports from Kiev that both anti-government protesters and police officers have been shot dead in ongoing violence in which at least 50 people have reportedly been killed.
Eyewitnesses on Twitter and other social media have posted numerous photos apparently showing police officers wielding automatic and sniper rifles. The photographs could not be independently verified.
Washington is calling on Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych to immediately withdraw government security forces from downtown Kiev and to allow peaceful protests, while also urging protesters “to express themselves peacefully,” Carney said.
“The use of force will not resolve the crisis – clear steps must be taken to stop the violence and initiate meaningful dialogue that reduces tension and addresses the grievances of the Ukrainian people,” he said, adding that the Ukrainian military should not get involved in the conflict.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Vitaly Zakharchenko confirmed Thursday that he had signed a decree to issue service firearms to police officers and authorized the use of live ammunition.
Zakharchenko demanded in a statement that “extremists hand over their weapons and return to peaceful protests” and said opposition leaders should “dissociate themselves from the radicals.”
