Biden arrives for two-day visit to Ukraine

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Kyiv late on Dec. 6 for a two-day visit. Besides meeting with top state officials and civil society leaders, he will address Ukraine’s parliament on Dec. 8, the same day that he will depart, reported Voice of America. The visit marks Biden’s fifth arrival to Ukraine.

Among the main goals of the visit is to demonstrate to Ukraine that it remains central to U.S. interests, according to an anonymous White House source cited by Voice of America on Dec. 6. Biden will also discuss the need to reform the prosecutor general’s office and quick implementation of anti-corruption reforms, which will “undoubtedly become the main focus of talks,” the source said. What would create a breakthrough in Ukraine is complete reforms in Ukraine’s security sphere and improving the institutional qualities and possibilities of the Armed Forces, the source said.

Zenon Zawada: We see two main objectives for Biden: reconfiguring Ukraine’s fight against Russia in the context of the expanded war against the Islamic State and conducting a performance review of the government, which has resisted reforms to the prosecutor general’s office. The U.S. has demonstrated its exhaustion in working with this government, with increasing reports surfacing that the U.S. preparing to support a new political movement to rescue Ukraine from its current course towards economic and political collapse. This meeting with Biden just might be Ukrainian President Poroshenko’s last chance to earn U.S. trust before such efforts get underway.