Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov has said that the local authorities will receive the powers to decide on official languages in their respective areas, while Ukrainian will be the state language across the country.

"To ensure peace and understanding among Ukrainian citizens, regional, city and district councils will be granted the right to decide about the provision in their respective areas of the official status to Russian or other languages spoken by the majority of the local population, which will be official languages [in respective localities] along with the state language - Ukrainian," he said in an televised speech on Friday.

In turn, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk said: "We are giving the special status to the Russian language and the protection to this language, we will give the special status to any other language on the territory of its community."

He stressed that this was necessary for achieving mutual understanding in Ukraine.

The text of his speech was approved by the parliamentary majority and signed by Yatseniuk and Turchynov.

The Verkhovna Rada on Friday was unable to reach an agreement concerning the text of a memorandum pledging a peaceful settlement in eastern Ukraine. Members of the factions of the Party of Regions and the Communist Party refused to sign the document.

Key provisions of the memorandum are contained in the statement, which on behalf of the majority of MPs was signed by Acting President, Parliament Speaker Oleksandr Turchynov and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk.