Biden says Russian Federation must fulfil Ukraine peace deal, hand back Crimea
US Vice President Joe Biden warned Moscow on Tuesday that Western pressure will only harden if Russia’ “aggression” against neighbouring war-scarred Ukraine persists.
The Biden visit comes as fighting in eastern Ukraine between government troops and pro-Russian rebels continues to wane, after more than 18 months of combat and almost 8,000 deaths, the majority civilians.
He met Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in private early Monday and will speak to Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk before delivering a highly anticipated address to parliament the following day.
Ukraine’s state energy company, Ukrenergo, has said the damage was caused by “shelling or the use of explosive devices”. Let me be crystal clear: “The United States does not, has not, never will recognize Russia’s attempt to annex Crimea“.
Last week Russia’s Finance Ministry received an official refusal from the USA government to provide guarantees on Ukraine’s debt.
“The absence of effective control of the Government of Ukraine over considerable parts of the border with the Russian Federation… continued to facilitate an inflow of ammunition, weaponry and fighters to the territories controlled by the armed groups”, it said.
All electricity supplies from mainland Ukraine to Crimea were cut off on November 22 when unknown attackers blew up electricity pylons leading to Crimea, leaving the region of 2 million with no power.
The senior U.S. official said Biden would take extra care to stress that the overtures toward Putin in no way affected the West’s support for Kyiv.
Widespread corruption was one of the issues that galvanized the massive protests that drove Russia-friendly President Viktor Yanukovych from office in February 2014, but efforts since then to counter the problem have shown little result. Ukraine should fulfill its obligations under the pact, including granting decentralization and amnesty to Russia-backed separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, he said.