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Ukraine's Poroshenko Hails Domestic Reforms As He Pushes Trump For Support

RFE/RL June 20, 2017

WASHINGTON -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has praised his country's commitment to reforms as he meets with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House.

Poroshenko's June 20 visit is being hailed by Kyiv as a small victory, since it comes ahead of Trump's own meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, set for next month in Germany.

But the U.S. administration has been decidedly playing down the visit, signaling a wariness of angering the Kremlin.

"We are really fighting to bring freedom and democracy. And with a very strong support in the security and defense sector, support of our reforms, support of my 45 million nation, of the country who is the biggest in the European continent, and I am absolutely confident that Ukraine is a story of success," Poroshenko told Trump during his meeting in the Oval Office.

Trump, in his brief remarks before reporters, praised the tenor of the meetings.

"We've had some very, very good discussions. It's going to continue throughout the day and I think a lot of progress has been made. It's a great honor to have you, Mr. President," he said.

Poroshenko did get a boost from the U.S. Treasury Department, which announced new sanctions against dozens of separatist fighters, leaders, and their allies, who have been fighting Ukrainian forces in the eastern Donbas region for more than three years.

Prominent on the list of those targeted was a Russian named Dmitry Utkin, who is believed to be the head of an unregistered, private military-contracting agency that has recruited soldiers fighting in eastern Ukraine.

Also included was a company linked to Yevgeny Prigozhin, a St. Petersburg businessman who has provided catering to the Kremlin. He was targeted by the Treasury Department last year.

Ahead of the meetings, Poroshenko said that he would be holding talks with top officials from the State, Defense, Commerce, and Energy departments.

"There never was such a powerful visit," Poroshenko said. "And precisely in order to have the opportunity to talk about our cooperation in the security, political, and economic spheres."

Poroshenko hailed the U.S. Senate's recent decision to introduce new sanctions against Russia, saying that measures were a civilized mechanism "to force the aggressor to get away from Ukraine" and withdraw troops and equipment.

The U.S. Senate last week voted overwhelmingly for the sanctions aimed at punishing Russia for meddling in the 2016 U.S. election and to force Trump to get Congress's approval before easing any existing sanctions.

The sanctions legislation still must be approved by the House of Representatives. A vote is not yet scheduled.

Poroshenko's visit comes as the conflict between Ukrainian armed forces and the Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine is reportedly intensifying despite a peace deal known as the Minsk accord.

The Minsk peace agreement, brokered by France and Germany and signed by Russia and Ukraine in February 2015, calls for a cease-fire, the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front lines, and constitutional reforms to give eastern Ukraine more autonomy.

A United Nations report on June 13 said at least 10,090 people, including 2,777 civilians, have been killed during the conflict since it began in April 2014.

With reporting by Reuters and AP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-poroshenko-trump-visit/28564061.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.