As one of them says, "It's a tar baby of a situation, like Syria," for the U.S.
One interesting point is my friend Goddard who is really something of a real expert on all things Ukrainian, is more or less incommunicado in Vermont for a number of reasons, one of which is problems with the internet service.
Someone else says, " Just as in Syria, we could be "backing" people who are not all exactly honorable freedom fighters which we may discover later to our dismay."
Well, anyway, I am glad for the success the insurgents have had so far, and I think seeking truces and moderation is the best thing for those people, as much as so many of them now want revenge on a big scale and passions are running so high.
21 February 2014
Last updated at 20:03 ET
The pact, signed on Friday by President Viktor Yanukovych and
the opposition, says a unity government will be formed and a
presidential election held.
But many protesters do not believe Mr Yanukovych can be trusted.
The US and Russian presidents have agreed that the deal needs to be swiftly implemented, officials say.
Russia's Vladimir Putin told Barack Obama that Russia wants be part of the implementation process in a telephone conversation on Friday, a US State Department spokesperson said.
Thousands of anti-government protesters gathered in Independent Square
Activists rest next to a barricade in the square on Friday night
Earlier, people carried the coffins of those killed in the clashes through the centre of the capital
The deal, reached after mediation by EU foreign ministers, came after the bloodiest day since the unrest began in November.
Police opened fire on Thursday on protesters who have been occupying Independence Square in central Kiev. The health ministry said 77 people had been killed since Tuesday.
Opposition leaders who signed it were booed and called traitors by crowds, the BBC's Gavin Hewitt reports from Kiev.
Earlier, coffins of anti-government protesters were carried across the square as funeral ceremonies for those killed in the clashes got underway.
Meanwhile one group of far-right protesters is threatening to take action if President Yanukovych does not resign by Saturday morning.
'Good compromise'
Ukraine protesters stay on the streets despite deal
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Opposition leader Vitali Klitschko faced boos after signing the deal
Thousands
of protesters have remained in Kiev's main square despite a deal aimed
at ending Ukraine's political crisis, in which dozens have died.
But many protesters do not believe Mr Yanukovych can be trusted.
The US and Russian presidents have agreed that the deal needs to be swiftly implemented, officials say.
Russia's Vladimir Putin told Barack Obama that Russia wants be part of the implementation process in a telephone conversation on Friday, a US State Department spokesperson said.
Thousands of anti-government protesters gathered in Independent Square
Activists rest next to a barricade in the square on Friday night
Earlier, people carried the coffins of those killed in the clashes through the centre of the capital
Police opened fire on Thursday on protesters who have been occupying Independence Square in central Kiev. The health ministry said 77 people had been killed since Tuesday.
Continue reading the main story
"Ukraine may be a prize, but the West is hesitant about wooing it too hard”
The deal has been met with scepticism by some of the thousands of protesters who remain in the square.
Earlier, coffins of anti-government protesters were carried across the square as funeral ceremonies for those killed in the clashes got underway.
Meanwhile one group of far-right protesters is threatening to take action if President Yanukovych does not resign by Saturday morning.
'Good compromise'
The agreement, published by the German foreign ministry, includes the following:
The agreement was was signed by Mr Yanukovych and opposition leaders Vitali Klitschko, Arseniy Yatsenyuk and Oleh Tyahnibok.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski tweeted that the deal was a "good compromise for Ukraine" which would open the way "to reform and to Europe".
The US remained prepared to impose sanctions on the Ukrainian government if the violence continues, it said in a statement.
Shortly after the deal was signed, Ukraine's parliament approved the restoration of the 2004 constitution, with all but one of the 387 MPs present voting in favour.
Parliament also approved an amnesty for protesters accused of involvement in violence.
MPs voted for a change in the law which could lead to the release of Yulia Tymoshenko, an arch-rival of Mr Yanukovych.
She was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2011 for abuse of power. Her supporters say this was simply Mr Yanukovych taking out his most prominent opponent.
Dozens of MPs from Mr Yanukovych's own Party of Regions voted for the motions, in what correspondents say will be a humiliation for the president.
The protests first erupted in late November when Mr Yanukovych rejected a landmark association and trade deal with the EU in favour of closer ties with Russia.
- The 2004 constitution will be restored within 48 hours, and a national unity government will be formed within 10 days
- Constitutional reform balancing the powers of president, government and parliament will be started immediately and completed by September
- A presidential election will be held after the new constitution is adopted but no later than December 2014, and new electoral laws will be passed
- An investigation into recent acts of violence will be conducted under joint monitoring from the authorities, the opposition and the Council of Europe
- The authorities will not impose a state of emergency and both the authorities and the opposition will refrain from the use of violence
- Both parties will undertake serious efforts for the normalisation of life in the cities and villages by withdrawing from administrative and public buildings and unblocking streets, city parks and squares
- Illegal weapons will be handed over to interior ministry bodies
The fiance of activist Mariya Pohorilko was killed in the city of Lviv
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski tweeted that the deal was a "good compromise for Ukraine" which would open the way "to reform and to Europe".
Continue reading the main story
Any political deal between President Yanukovych and the
opposition movement will have to pass the test here in Lviv. It is a
city that has been at the forefront of the protests, sending busloads of
demonstrators 500km east to Kiev on a nightly basis.
Lviv has always looked west rather than east: a city for centuries under Austrian and then Polish rule, it only fell to the Soviets during World War Two and has remained fiercely proud of its Ukrainian identity ever since.
The writ of the Kiev government does not extend here. Every regional administration building is now under the control of the protest movement. I visited the police headquarters, taken on Tuesday night by the opposition and ransacked. At the security service office, burnt out cars lie in the courtyard. The mood here is one of defiance: that President Yanukovych must step down now.
At the scene
Lviv has always looked west rather than east: a city for centuries under Austrian and then Polish rule, it only fell to the Soviets during World War Two and has remained fiercely proud of its Ukrainian identity ever since.
The writ of the Kiev government does not extend here. Every regional administration building is now under the control of the protest movement. I visited the police headquarters, taken on Tuesday night by the opposition and ransacked. At the security service office, burnt out cars lie in the courtyard. The mood here is one of defiance: that President Yanukovych must step down now.
The White House has welcomed Friday's deal, praising "the courageous opposition leaders who recognised the need for compromise".
Shortly after the deal was signed, Ukraine's parliament approved the restoration of the 2004 constitution, with all but one of the 387 MPs present voting in favour.
Parliament also approved an amnesty for protesters accused of involvement in violence.
MPs voted for a change in the law which could lead to the release of Yulia Tymoshenko, an arch-rival of Mr Yanukovych.
She was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2011 for abuse of power. Her supporters say this was simply Mr Yanukovych taking out his most prominent opponent.
Dozens of MPs from Mr Yanukovych's own Party of Regions voted for the motions, in what correspondents say will be a humiliation for the president.
The protests first erupted in late November when Mr Yanukovych rejected a landmark association and trade deal with the EU in favour of closer ties with Russia.
Ukraine crisis
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After hours of intense negotiations, the Ukrainian president, Viktor Yanukovych, and opposition leaders sign a deal seeking to end the political crisis in the country.Latest updates
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Before and after
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Crisis explained
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Ukraine crisis - in 60 secs
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Ukrainian voices
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Radicalised country
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Protest leaders
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Groups at the sharp end
From other news sites
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Telegraph Ukraine protests: Opposition signs deal to end crisis - as it happened 1 hr ago
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Reuters UK Ukraine peace deal halts violence but crowds still angry 2 hrs ago
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Financial Times* Ukraine peace deal faces first challenge 4 hrs ago
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Channel 4 Uneasy peace in Ukraine - but will the new deal hold? 5 hrs ago
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International Business Times UK Ukraine's Youth Speaks: 'We're Tired of Disappointment, Disillusionment and Disenchantment' 9 hrs ago
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