Today Ukraine is mourning for the killed at Maidan

February 22 and 23 are announced to be the days of grief over the dead at the bloodshed in Kiev. EU, US and Russia issue statements, voicing their reaction to the current events in Ukraine.

The number of victims of clashes in Ukraine’s capital has increased to 645, Ukraine’s Health Ministry said. According to the latest data, the death toll remained unchanged, 82.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton said in her statement on February 22 that the European Union “expects everyone in Ukraine to behave responsibly with a view to protect the unity, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the country”. She also called “to abide by the rule of the law and the Constitution”.

Catherine Ashton welcomed the release of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko, emphasizing that “this comes as an important step forward in view of addressing concerns regarding selective justice in the country."

The US has also issued a statement, in which the White House welcomed former Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko’s release. It also said the United States will work with its allies and Russia to support a "strong, prosperous, unified, and democratic Ukraine." In a statement, the White House Press Secretary says that developments in Ukraine on February 22 could help "a de-escalation of violence, constitutional change, a coalition government, and early elections."

“We have consistently advocated a de-escalation of violence, constitutional change, a coalition government, and early elections, and today’s developments could move us closer to that goal”, - the statement says.

Earlier, in a statement issued on February 22, Russia's Foreign Ministry said the opposition has failed to fulfill its side of a deal intended to end the country's political crisis. According to RFE/RL quoting Russian Foreign Ministry, the opposition is "pushing new demands, submitting itself to armed extremists and looters whose actions pose a direct threat to the sovereignty and constitutional order of Ukraine." The ministry said that this was the message Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov conveyed to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. The ministry also said Lavrov urged his French, German, and Polish counterparts to exercise their influence with the opposition to ensure the "restraining of rampaging hooligans."

Let us recall that earlier on Saturday Ukraine’s Parliament Verkhovna Rada has approved a resolution on the resignation of President Viktor Yanukovich.