Biden warns Ukraine of backsliding on corruption

We hope you will urge Ukraine’s leadership to ensure that the anti-discriminatory provision is included in any new version of the labor code.

“A default situation lies ahead (for Ukraine), just what we were speaking about”, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

Cluster Munitions: Human Rights Watch has documented evidence of the use of cluster munitions by pro-government forces and Russia-backed rebels during the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine.

US Vice President Joe Biden has assured Ukrainian lawmakers that the United States will only step up pressure on Moscow if “Russian aggression” continues. Otherwise, there will be no chance of building a functioning democracy. “I think that we are seeing polarization and a movement towards more confrontation, unfortunately, and I think that this Biden visit to Ukraine is the same as ‘you know we are going to be there for you when World War 3 starts, we are going to be fighting right alongside you”, Hagopian added.

A few days before the arrival of the “American Auditor” Biden the Ukrainian government showed surprising revival: Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk chose to “portray activities”: ministers gave reports on structural reforms in their departments. “This is a bilateral issue for Russian Federation and Ukraine”, the official said. And visa-free travel for Ukrainians to the European Union could also be possible if the progress report expected next week finds that Ukraine has received good marks for reforms.

Burisma said the ruling confirmed that Zlochevsky’s assets were acquired legally, the Journal reports.

For a long time, the White House has tried to convey a powerful and clear message to Ukraine’s leaders concerning the need to undertake more active efforts against corruption. Brussels is still looking at submittals from Kyiv because, above all, Ukraine’s parliament has been slow to reform.

Russian President Vladimir Putin last month said that Moscow was ready to spread out the repayment over three years after initially demanding that Kiev make good on the full amount by late December.

According to some predictions, Vice President Biden will voice concern over the urgency of more active reforms of structural and institutional aspects of the Ukrainian state apparatus.

For Biden, who has made it his mission to nurse Ukraine through its transition, it was a classic performance from the lectern in the grand chamber of the parliament, known here as the Rada. Only pieces of necessary judicial reforms have been accomplished so far.

“If an investigator sees the son of the vice president of the United States is part of the management of a company … that investigator will be uncomfortable pushing the case forward”, Daria Kaleniuk, head of Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Action Center, tells The Wall Street Journal. In fact, corruption even permeates the attorney general’s office and Ukraine’s secret service, the SBU. Possible US assistance in reaching an agreement on the Ukraine’s debt restructuring will also be predicated on these conditions.