Ukraine PM resigns in bid to defuse crisis
KIEV. KAZINFORM Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov announced his resignation Tuesday in what he said was a bid to quell the deepening political crisis created by protests in the former Soviet nation.
"The acute and dangerous conflict for our people, for the fate of Ukraine, demands further responsible steps," Azarov said in a statement posted on the Cabinet website.
"In order to create additional opportunities for social and political compromise, for the peaceful settlement of conflict, I have taken a personal decision to ask the president of Ukraine to accept my resignation," he said, RIA Novosti reports. Azarov, who was appointed prime minister in 2010 by President Viktor Yanukovych, was a key figure in the decision to back away from increased ties with the European Union in November, a move that sparked the current wave of anti-government protests.