Westerwelle: Ukrainian government should not use violence and launch real political dialogue

12:31, 11.12.2013 1 min read

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has urged the Ukrainian government to refrain from using violence and launch a real dialogue with the opposition, and not just promise it.

He said this in a statement published on the Web site of the German Foreign Ministry on Wednesday in response to the situation in Ukraine.

"In a democracy, peaceful demonstrations cannot simply be banned and put paid to with violence. The protests are an active expression of the people's desire for a European Ukraine. I urgently call on the government in Ukraine to refrain from the use of violence in any form," reads the statement.

Westerwelle said that "instead of a ban on protests and the clearing of Maidan Square, a real political dialogue must now be launched, not just continually promised."

"That the European Union and the Council of Europe are prepared to help in this endeavor is known in Kyiv," he said.