KIEV, Ukraine — Fire raged and dense, black smoke billowed from Kiev’s main Independence Square and an adjacent government building as the sun rose over Ukraine on Wednesday morning after a long, intense day and night of warfare that took the lives of at least 26 people.
As a result, the European Union on Wednesday called an extraordinary meeting to discuss possible sanctions against Ukrainian leaders.
See also: Photos: This Is Kiev Right Now
Late-night negotiations between opposition leaders and embattled President Viktor Yanukovych failed to reach any solution to the unrest, further enraging protesters on the square who said they would fight the authorities until the president was ousted from office.
“We cannot trust him. There can be no compromise with a dictator. He must go,” a masked protester who was preparing Molotov cocktails and identified himself as "Vladislav" told Mashable.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden called Yanukovych to express “grave concern regarding the crisis on the streets” of Kiev and urged him “to pull back government forces and to exercise maximum restraint.” However, it failed to persuade the president to settle the conflict.
Addressing the nation just after 5 a.m. on Wednesday, a defiant Yanukovych accused opposition leaders of trying to seize power by force and urged them to "distance themselves from radical forces."
"They crossed the limits when they called people to arms. And it is a blatant violation of the law. I have some advisors who try to persuade me to the use of force. But I always thought the use of force as a wrong approach," Yanukovych said.
“Therefore, I once again urge the leaders of the opposition, who argue that they too seek a peaceful settlement immediately disassociate themselves from the radical forces that provoke bloodshed and clashes with law enforcement,” he added.
Going against the president’s advice, opposition leaders Arseniy Yatseniuk and Vitali Klitschko urged the protesters to remain on the square, the epicenter of the nearly three-month-long unrest. Hours later, a cryptic message posted to the website of the Security Service of Ukraine warned that opposition leaders could face charges for their actions, saying “preliminary inquiry into the commission of some politicians’ illegal actions aimed at seizing power" is underway.
Meanwhile, early Wednesday morning, several thousand anti-government protesters continued to fuel blazes on Independence Square with tires, wooden planks and anything else that would burn in an attempt to stave off further advances by police, who managed during the night to take over much of the square and the Trade Unions House occupied by the protesters for nearly three months.
Fires broke out on the upper levels of the building late in the night, trapping some protesters who were forced to jump from windows of the building into collapsed tents held by protesters below.
Anti-government protesters walk amid debris and flames near the perimeter of Independence Square, known as Maidan, on Feb. 19, 2014.
Anti-government protesters put on gas masks near the perimeter of Independence Square, known as Maidan, on Feb. 19, 2014 in Kiev, Ukraine.
A view out from inside the Trade Unions Building, which has served as the de facto headquarters for the anti-government protest movement, as the building burns on Feb. 19, 2014 in Kiev, Ukraine.
Protesters stand guard on the perimeter of Independence Square, known as Maidan, as the Trade Unions Building, which has served as the de facto headquarters for the protest movement, burns on Feb. 19, 2014 in Kiev, Ukraine.
An injured anti-government protester awaits treatment at the Mikhailovsky Monastery, which has been converted into a makeshift hospital, on Feb. 19, 2014 in Kiev, Ukraine.
Anti-government protesters guard the perimeter of Independence Square, known as Maidan, on Feb.19, 2014 in Kiev, Ukraine.
Anti-government protesters walk amid debris and flames near the perimeter of Independence Square on Feb. 19, 2014 in Kiev, Ukraine.
Anti-government protesters guard the perimeter of Independence Square on Wednesday.
Anti-government protesters sleep on the floor inside the Mikhailovsky Monastery, which has been converted into a makeshift hospital, on Feb. 19, 2014 in Kiev, Ukraine.
Anti-government protesters protected themselves with shields during clashes with riot police in Kiev's Independence Square, the epicenter of the country's current unrest, Kiev, Ukraine, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2014.
An anti-government protester, center, prepares to throw a Molotov cocktail during clashes with riot police in Kiev's Independence Square on Tuesday night.
Anti-government protesters relax at the barricades during clashes with riot police in Kiev's Independence Square on Feb. 19, 2014.
Protesters dig for stones during clashes with riot police in Kiev's Independence Square on Feb. 19, 2014. The deadly clashes in Ukraine’s capital have drawn sharp reactions from Washington, generated talk of possible European Union sanctions and led to a Kremlin statement blaming Europe and the West.
Protesters protected themselves with shields during clashes with riot police in Kiev's Independence Square on Wednesday.
Anti-government protesters clash with riot police in Kiev's Independence Square on the evening of Feb. 18, 2014.
Anti-government protesters clash with riot police in Kiev's Independence Square on Tuesday night.
An anti-government protester, right, prepares to throw a Molotov cocktail during clashes with riot police in Kiev on Feb. 18, 2014.
Christopher J. Miller is an editor at English-language newspaper the Kyiv Post in Ukraine.