CRI听力:Deal Reached to Resolve Crisis: Ukraine Presidency

The office of Ukraine's president says a deal has been reached following all-night talks on resolving the country's crisis. In the last two days of violence in Kiev, about 100 people have died.

But the opposition has not immediately confirmed the agreement.

Unnamed diplomatic sources described the talks, brokered by three European Union ministers, as "very difficult".

Meanwhile, anti-government protesters in the early hours of Friday released dozens of police officers held hostage in Kiev's occupied city hall.

Opposition lawmaker Petro Poroshenko was at the square as police boarded a bus meant to take them to safety.

"Today is the first day when we have a very important decision in parliament. A so called statement for the ceasefire. Today we have the first voting in the parliament without President Yanukovych in the government. This is the first signing of the new majority in the parliament."

He was referring to a measure just passed by parliament calling all Interior Ministry troops to return to their bases and prohibiting an "anti-terrorist operation" threatened by President Victor Yanukovych.

The political crisis in the country has prompted serious international concern, with the UN chief Ban Ki-moon calling for a peaceful solution to the situation.

The protest movement started in November after President Yanukovych backed off from singing a key deal with the EU in favor of closer ties with Russia.