KIEV, January 28 (RAPSI/RIA Novosti) - Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolai Azarov declared his resignation on Tuesday, to facilitate a peaceful solution for the ongoing political crisis.

“In order to create additional opportunities for social and political compromise, for the peaceful settlement of conflict, I have taken a personal decision to ask the president of Ukraine to accept my resignation,” the PM's statement posted on the government's website reads.

Azarov, who was appointed prime minister in 2010 by President Viktor Yanukovych, was a key figure in the decision to back away from increased ties with the European Union in November, a move that sparked the current wave of anti-government protests.

Protests initially began after President Viktor Yanukovych announced the decision to postpone the signing of the EU Association Agreement on November 21. Protest rallies broke out anew in central Kiev on January 19 after a series of laws to clamp down on protests had been adopted by Parliament earlier. The rally turned violent when radicals attacked the police.