If the current confrontation between Kiev and the radical opposition keeps unfolding, it will render relations between Russia and the West even worse, a local expert said here Thursday.

From Russia's point of view, leaders of the opposition in Ukraine became more aggressive after their meeting with Western politicians in Berlin, because they "obviously have seen support from the West that gave them more courage or even recklessness," Anatoly Adamishin, former Russian deputy foreign minister told Xinhua.

The veteran diplomat, now president of the Association for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation, a Moscow-based think tank, said the crisis could develop in two possible ways: either the Ukrainian government and the opposition eventually find the common ground for talks; or the current confrontation will evolve into a full-scale civil war.

"We see that lots of people in Kiev and other Ukrainian cities are obtaining arms, and the historical experience says that it is usually very difficult to disarm those people who have seized arms illegally," Adamishin said.

According to him, in Ukraine there are only two real "centers of power" -- the government and the radical opposition.

Therefore, even though the three opposition leaders inside the parliament are glad to negotiate with President Viktor Yanukovych the terms of "truce" or returning to the 2004 Constitution, the Maidan (square) already does not need it or any other intermediate solutions to the confrontation. "It wants all or nothing," Adamishin noted.

Meanwhile, it's difficult to say what measures Russian President Vladimir Putin might imply when he said "urgent steps" were needed, said the expert.

A possible solution could be that Moscow and the European Union (EU), before it is not too late, would initiate negotiations between the confronting sides in Ukraine, said the expert.

Adamishin noted that Russia could act as a solicitor for the government while EU could act as an advocate of the opposition. That simultaneously would increase trust between Russia and the EU, as a positive by-product of the process, he noted.

The new wave of violence in Ukraine came several hours after President Yanukovych and opposition leaders announced a truce in central Kiev to prevent further bloodshed.

As of Thursday morning, 10 police officers and 18 civilians were confirmed dead and over 500 people from both sides were injured.

Adamishin said Moscow could not recognize the radical wing of the protesters who were in large number just mobs.