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Russia has slammed Ukraine’s opposition for “inflaming” the crisis

in the country with incitement from Western nations, even as

opposition leaders press for a constitutional reform.

“Russia is very much concerned over the attempts of opposition

forces in Ukraine to further inflame the situation in the country,”

the Russian Foreign Ministry said noting opposition calls to set up

self-defence to patrol streets and stage protests at government

offices in the provinces.

“It is puzzling that these provocative actions come immediately

after the opposition leaders interacted with Western officials in

Munich,” said a statement posted on the Russian Foreign

Ministry’s website on Monday.

“We expect the opposition in Ukraine to renounce threats and

ultimatums and re-energise its dialogue with the authorities with a

view to taking the country out of the deep crisis within the

framework of the Constitution,” the Russian statement said.

Ukraine’s opposition leaders had meetings with U.S. Secretary of

State John Kerry and other Western leaders on the sidelines of an

international security conference in Munich over the weekend to

discuss a plan to end the acute political crisis in the former Soviet

state. European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said in

an interview on Sunday that the E.U. and the U.S. are working on a

plan to give short-term financial aid to Ukraine that “won’t be

small” and will be contingent on the new Ukrainian government

undertaking political and economic reforms.

A high powered Western delegation is to visit Ukraine next week to

push forward with the plan. The delegation will comprise E.U.

foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, U.S. Assistant Secretary of

State Victoria Nuland and a number of European Foreign Ministers.

Addressing a protest rally in Kiev after his return from Munich

opposition leader Vitali Klitschko said the crisis in Ukraine will

only end through new elections to oust President Viktor

Yanukovych “under the auspices of the international community”.

Speaker of Ukraine’s Parliament Volodymyr Rybak said Mr.

Yanukovych, who returned to work on Monday after a short

respiratory illness, planned to continue talks with the opposition.

The opposition said it had tabled draft changes in the Ukrainian

Constitution to redistribute powers from the President to the

Parliament. Opposition leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk on Monday said

the change would “cancel the dictatorial powers of the president

and transfer the right of governing the country to the Ukrainian

people”.

The constitutional reform would open the way to holding

presidential elections this year, instead of 2015.