Tillerson to visit Ukraine on July 9, news site reports
4 July 2017
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will visit Kyiv,
Ukraine on July 9, the pravda.com.ua news site reported, citing anonymous
sources in diplomatic circles. The visit is scheduled for 2-2.5 hours, though
it’s still unknown who will meet with him. During his visit to Washington in
mid-June, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said they would continue their
work during Tillerson’s visit to Kyiv. He also said Energy Secretary Rick Perry
will visit in August and Defense Secretary James Mattis will visit in the
coming months.
Zenon Zawada: It’s an
accomplishment of Ukrainian diplomacy for Tillerson to be visiting Kyiv, no
matter how short it is, ahead of the G20 summit at which Russian President
Putin will meet with U.S. President Trump. The topics for discussion will
include Ukrainian purchases of American liquefied natural gas, which is already
being delivered to neighboring Poland. U.S. military support will also be
discussed, though we are confident the Americans are not going to upset
relations with Russia by agreeing to sell weaponry, as has been floated by key
Ukrainian officials.
