Last year, on July 13, 2015, U.S. Vice-President Joseph Biden and Ukraine’s Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk met at the White House.
The meeting was held on the sidelines of a U.S-Ukraine Business Forum in Washington – organized and co-hosted by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce – that attracted a large gathering of U.S. and Ukrainian government officials and business leaders who were focused on improving Ukraine’s economic situation and its relations with the United States and the West.
Vice-President Biden told the gathering at the forum, “This may be the last genuine opportunity the people of Ukraine have to establish a democratic republic in a way that is economically prosperous and fully integrated within Europe.”
At the White House, President Barack Obama dropped by during the meeting between Messrs. Biden and Yatsenyuk, with Mr. Obama expressing the U.S. government’s “unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
In a statement released following the meeting at the White House, the president and vice-president “underscored the U.S. commitment to maintaining sanctions on Russia until it fully implements its obligations under the Minsk agreements,” with the U.S. leaders commending the Ukrainian government for steps it had taken to implement its obligations under the agreements, including the submission to Ukraine’s Parliament of “draft constitutional amendments on decentralization” and the “ambitious economic reform agenda” and its “strong stand against populist measures that could undermine Ukraine’s financial stability” – which were also among the primary issues discussed at the U.S. Ukraine Business Forum.
A reception for the forum participants held at the Willard InterContinental Hotel was organized by the U.S.-Ukraine Business Council.
The following day, Prime Minister Yatsenyuk was in Canada to finalize a free trade agreement between Ukraine and Canada.
Also on July 14, Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Andriy Pyvovarskyi and U.S. Undersecretary for Economic Growth, Energy and Environment Catherine A. Novelli were at the State Department for the signing of the Open Skies agreement. This is one of 115 such Open Skies agreements, among them one signed between Russia and the U.S.
The State Department stated: “[The agreement] is an example of the strong bonds of friendship and cooperation between our two countries. …Open Skies agreements promote increased travel and trade, and enhance productivity, and spur high-quality job opportunities and economic growth. …They serve to eliminate government interference in commercial airline decisions about routes, capacity and pricing, allow carriers to provide more affordable, convenient and efficient air service for consumers.”
Recently, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Ukraine to finalize the free trade deal between the two countries, and at the end of June Messrs. Yatsenyuk and Biden met again in Washington to discuss reforms in Ukraine in the judicial, economic and technical sectors.
Source: “Obama drops by Biden’s meeting with Ukraine’s prime minister, President expressed ‘unwavering support’ for Ukraine’s sovereignty” by Yaro Bihun, The Ukrainian Weekly, July 19, 2015.