Ukraine's new interim president Oleksandr Turchynov says the country will focus on closer integration with the European Union.
Mr Turchynov was appointed the dismissal of President Viktor Yanukovych by MPs on Saturday. Mr Yanukovych's rejection of a trade pact between the EU and Ukraine triggered the demonstrations that toppled him.
Newly-appointed interim president Oleksandr Turchynov. Photo: AFP
Thousands of people in the capital Kiev continue to occupy a now largely calm Independence Square, the focus of anti-government protests for over a fortnight.
Russia, which supported Mr Yanukovych has recalled its ambassador to Ukraine for consultations in Moscow over what it describes as the deteriorating situation in Kiev.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the opposition has in effect seized power in the capital, refuses to disarm and continues to place its bets on violence, the BBC reports.
The United States has said the Ukraine parliament's actions were legitimate and has warned Russia against military intervention.
Mr Turchynov, a close ally of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, gave a televised address late on Sunday and urged MPs to agree on a national unity government by Tuesday.
Ms Tymoshenko, who was freed from jail on Saturday, has ruled out returning to the role. Her release was one of the conditions of the EU-Ukraine trade pact that Mr Yanukovych rejected in 2013 - a move that triggered the protests leading to the current crisis.
In an address on Saturday aired before MPs voted to remove him, Mr Yanukovych refused to officially stand down. He is last thought to have been in Kharkiv after travelling there late on Friday night.
Media reports have quoted Ukrainian officials as saying he was stopped by border police while attempting to fly to Russia aboard a private plane.
Ukraine's health ministry says 88 people, mostly protesters, are now known to have been killed in clashes since 18 February this year.
Flowers and tributes have been left at an Independence Square memorial to the anti-government protesters killed in Kiev. Photo: AFP
