Ukraine President 'Mulls Early Polls' to End Crisis

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych could call early elections to end mass anti-government unrest, a top lawmaker said Tuesday, as protest leaders demanded curbs to presidential powers in a stormy parliamentary debate.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton meanwhile was set to arrive in Kiev to press for a resolution to the crisis, as Europe and the United States discussed a possible financial aid package to Ukraine in exchange for democratic reforms.

Ukraine's protests erupted in November after Yanukovych rejected a key EU pact in favour of closer ties with Moscow, and the turmoil has since evolved into an all-out movement to oust him.

The opposition pressed for concessions at a heated parliament session in which one protest leader, boxer-turned-politician Vitali Klitschko, called for an "end to the dictatorship".

Fellow opposition leader, nationalist Oleg Tyagnybok, called for the "de-Putinization" of Ukraine -- a reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin, adding: "The Kremlin is trying to break up Ukraine".

The crisis has sparked tensions between the West, which is considering sanctions against Ukrainian officials, and Russia, which has accused the EU and US of interference in Ukraine.

Opposition MPs chanted "Killers! Killers! Killers!" as the chief lawmaker of Yanukovych's ruling Regions Party, Oleksandr Yefremov, took the floor and blasted the protesters' "extremism".

But Yuriy Miroshnychenko, Yanukovych's personal representative in parliament, struck a conciliatory tone, telling Agence France Presse that Yanukovych was considering "two possible scenarios".

"The first is the release of occupied buildings and an amnesty and the second is early elections. The amnesty is not working out," he told AFP, referring to the release of detained protesters.

The opposition wants activists freed without conditions, while the Regions Party so far has said this can only happen if occupied government buildings are vacated in the next few days.

Klitschko also called for a return to Ukraine's previous constitution, which would mean a curb on the presidential powers that Yanukovych has built up and would give more clout to parliament.

"People have come out in the streets because they want to say 'enough' to lawlessness, to corruption and a country with no future," he said.

Klitschko has held negotiations with Yanukovych in the past but no new talks are planned and he has called for international mediation so that there are "no misunderstandings".

On Monday Yanukovych blasted the mass protests against his rule as "extremism, radicalism and incitement to hatred" in his first public comments since taking four days of sick leave.

He also appeared to link militants to Nazis, calling for "a community of wholesome people without the Nazism, racism and xenophobia that remind us of the terrible lessons of history".

Yanukovych has scrapped draconian anti-protest laws and the prime minister and the entire cabinet have resigned under opposition pressure but other demands remain unanswered.

Thousands remain camped out on Kiev's Independence Square -- the Maidan -- and in occupied buildings in the capital and across Ukraine, refusing to leave until the president steps down.

At least two protesters and two policemen were killed in clashes last month and the opposition says there is still a "secret repression" under way in which activists are seized and beaten by pro-government vigilantes.

'No bidding competition' with Russia

The violence has increased pressure from the international community for a swift solution.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said there were talks on possible aid for Ukraine in return for reforms but they were still "at a very preliminary stage".

"We are consulting with the EU... and other partners about the support Ukraine may need after a new technical government is formed as the country gets back on the path to economic health through the IMF," she said.

Opposition leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk has asked for a "Marshall Plan" -- a reference to massive U.S. aid for Europe after World War II to prevent the spread of Communism.

He said the minimum required was the $15 billion (11 billion euros) that Russia has promised Ukraine in a bailout that is now on hold.

But European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso on Monday said there would be "no bidding competition" with Russia over Ukraine.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier echoed Barroso's words, telling ARD public television: "We should not now enter into a competition of who pays more".

Ukraine's recession-hit economy is dependent on Russia, and Moscow has tightened the screws further by reminding Ukraine it owes $3.3 billion for energy supplies.