The White House plans to commit $220 million to Ukraine in support of economic, political, and energy reforms, Vice President Biden said in a meeting with Ukraine's Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman Wednesday.
"The Vice President expressed strong support for the prime minister's ambitious reform efforts and commended him for the bold reform steps his Cabinet has already taken in its initial two months in office," the White House said in a statement.
The Vice President also expressed deep concern about the rise of separatists in Eastern Ukraine, supported by Russia, urging Ukraine to fully implement the Minsk agreements, a cease-fire accord designed to end fighting between Ukraine’s government and the country’s pro-Russian rebels in the east.
Biden also assured Groysman that sanctions against Russia would not be lifted until it fully implemented the accord.
Since Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine, the U.S. and EU have imposed several rounds of asset freezes, travel bans and other penalties on Russia.
