- published: 23 Feb 2014
- views: 105
Parliament in Ukraine has named its speaker as interim president. Oleksandr Turchynov takes charge following the dismissal of President Viktor Yanukovych on Saturday. Mr Turchynov told MPs they had until Tuesday to form a new unity government. Parliament also voted to seize Mr Yanukovych's luxury estate near Kiev, which protesters entered on Saturday. The whereabouts of Mr Yanukovych, who described parliament's decision to vote him out as a coup, remain unclear. Thousands of opposition supporters remain in Independence Square, where the atmosphere is described as calm. Late on Saturday, former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, freed from detention in the eastern city of Kharkiv after a vote in parliament, urged opposition supporters in Independence Square to continue protesting. Her release was one of the conditions of the EU-Ukraine trade pact that President Yanukovych rejected last year - triggering the protests that led to the current crisis. The health ministry says 88 people, mostly protesters, are now known to have been killed since 18 February. Mr Turchynov, a close associate of Ms Tymoshenko, described forming a unity government as a "priority task". "We don't have much time," one of the opposition leaders, former world champion boxer Vitaly Klitschko, said as parliament began its debate. Speaking to the BBC, he also suggested a bid for the presidency in elections scheduled for 25 May. "I want to make Ukraine a modern European country," he said. "If I can do that through the president's position, I will do my best." In another move, parliament voted to dismiss Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara, an ally of Mr Yanukovych. MPs from Mr Yanukovych's Party of Regions now appear to be disowning him. "Ukraine was betrayed and people were set against each other. Full responsibility for this rests with Yanukovych and his entourage," its MPs said in a statement carried by Interfax-Ukraine. Mr Yanukovych is refusing to officially stand down. He is last thought to have been in Kharkiv after travelling there late on Friday night. Media reports have quoted Ukrainian officials as saying he was stopped by border police while attempting to fly to Russia aboard a private plane. Financial support US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew discussed Ukraine with Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Sydney, a US official said. Mr Lew told reporters the US was ready to work "with other countries including Russia" to help Ukraine "as it implements reforms to restore economic stability and seeks to return to a path of democracy and growth". However, Mr Siluanov has left open the question of whether Russia will pay the next instalment of financial help for Ukraine, worth $2bn. "We are planning to wait until a new government is formed and until we understand the policy of this government and then we shall make a decision," Siluanov was quoted by website Gazeta.ru as saying. In a telephone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, US Secretary of State John Kerry noted the "peaceful atmosphere" prevailing in Kiev after the departure of President Yanukovych, officials said. TAGS: abc breaking news, bbc, bbc football, bbc iplayer, bbc news, bbc news america, bbc persian, bbc sport, bbc weather, bbc world news, breaking celebrity news, breaking election news, breaking late news, breaking local news, breaking music news, breaking news, breaking news alerts, breaking news canada, breaking news headlines, breaking news in atlanta, breaking news in nigeria, breaking news india, breaking news pensacola florida, breaking news plane crash, breaking news story, breaking sports news, business expensive news home media world, christian world news, cnn, cnn breaking news, cnn money, cnn news, cnn news breaking news, cnn news world, detroit breaking news, global news, headline, headline news, health care technology news, hot latest global news, internet technology news, las vegas breaking news, latest breaking news, latest celebrity news, latest information technology news, latest music news, latest news, latest news headlines, latest news update, latest sports news, live breaking news, local breaking news, local news today, msn breaking news, nbc breaking news, nbc world news, news of the world, news report us world, news today news, news updated daily, solar technology news, sports news today, technology news, the latest news, today news, us news and world, us news and world report, us news and world report magazine, us news and world report web site, us news world report, world news, world news daily, world news headlines