Protesters reinforce barricades in central Kiev

ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)

Ukrainian protesters continued to reinforce barricades on Thursday, piling up bags filled with snow in central Kiev, despite violent police clampdown on demonstrators a day earlier.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich was due to hold talks with opposition leaders, including heavyweight boxer-turned-politician Vitaly Klitschko, and anti-government demonstrators in the capital agreed to a truce with police until 8 p.m. (1800 GMT), pending the outcome.

Yet protesters continued to build up barricades in central streets, fencing off riot police that stood on guard but has so far taken no action since violence broke out on Kiev streets on Wednesday.

The protests against Yanukovich began in November, when he pulled out of signing a free trade deal with the European Union in favor of closer economic ties with former Soviet overlord Russia.

The unrest has swelled in scale in recent weeks, and turned violent on Sunday when hard-co