Council of Europe Secretary General Jagland met today in Kiev with the leaders of the parliamentary parties, the speaker of the Parliament, the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister.

The Secretary General's offer of assistance received a positive response from all sides concerned. The aim of the visit is to try to reduce tensions in Ukraine, a member state of the Council of Europe, and to see if a dialogue is possible.

At a media conference in Kiev, the Secretary General provided his assessment of the situation.