WHITE HOUSE —
The White House said on Saturday that Vice President Joe Biden would travel to Kyiv this month to show support for the Ukrainian government as U.S. officials expressed new concern over "violence and sabotage'' by militants it said were apparently supported by Russia in eastern Ukraine.
Biden, set to travel to Kiev on April 22, will become the most senior U.S. official to visit the country since the crisis began there.
Secretary of State John Kerry spoke by telephone with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the State Department said.
During the call Kerry expressed strong concern that attacks today by armed militants in eastern Ukraine were orchestrated and synchronized, similar to previous attacks in eastern Ukraine and Crimea,'' said a senior State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"Militants were equipped with specialized Russian weapons and the same uniforms as those worn by the Russian forces that invaded Crimea. The secretary made clear that if Russia did not take steps to de-escalate in eastern Ukraine and move its troops back from Ukraine's border, there would be additional consequences,'' the official added.
The official did not state what those consequences would be.
The White House warned Russia against further military action in Ukraine after armed separatists seized government offices in the eastern city of Slaviansk, saying the situation was reminiscent of what happened before Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea region.
"The vice president will discuss the latest developments in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists, apparently with the support of Moscow, continue an orchestrated campaign of incitement and sabotage to destabilize the Ukrainian state,'' the White House said in a statement.
Biden, a top advisor to President Barack Obama on foreign policy issues, has been deeply involved in U.S. diplomatic efforts in Ukraine since protests erupted in Kiev in November.
He will be the highest-level U.S. official to visit the country since the crisis began there. Secretary of State John Kerry visited in early March to show support for Ukraine's leaders after Moscow took control of the Crimea region.
Biden's meetings with Ukrainian government leaders and civil society groups are timed ahead of presidential elections on May 25. He will also discuss energy security issues, the White House said.
"The vice president will underscore the United States' strong support for a united, democratic Ukraine that makes its own choices about its future path,'' the White House said in a statement about Biden's visit.
Biden, set to travel to Kiev on April 22, will become the most senior U.S. official to visit the country since the crisis began there.
Secretary of State John Kerry spoke by telephone with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the State Department said.
During the call Kerry expressed strong concern that attacks today by armed militants in eastern Ukraine were orchestrated and synchronized, similar to previous attacks in eastern Ukraine and Crimea,'' said a senior State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"Militants were equipped with specialized Russian weapons and the same uniforms as those worn by the Russian forces that invaded Crimea. The secretary made clear that if Russia did not take steps to de-escalate in eastern Ukraine and move its troops back from Ukraine's border, there would be additional consequences,'' the official added.
The official did not state what those consequences would be.
The White House warned Russia against further military action in Ukraine after armed separatists seized government offices in the eastern city of Slaviansk, saying the situation was reminiscent of what happened before Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea region.
"The vice president will discuss the latest developments in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists, apparently with the support of Moscow, continue an orchestrated campaign of incitement and sabotage to destabilize the Ukrainian state,'' the White House said in a statement.
Biden, a top advisor to President Barack Obama on foreign policy issues, has been deeply involved in U.S. diplomatic efforts in Ukraine since protests erupted in Kiev in November.
He will be the highest-level U.S. official to visit the country since the crisis began there. Secretary of State John Kerry visited in early March to show support for Ukraine's leaders after Moscow took control of the Crimea region.
Biden's meetings with Ukrainian government leaders and civil society groups are timed ahead of presidential elections on May 25. He will also discuss energy security issues, the White House said.
"The vice president will underscore the United States' strong support for a united, democratic Ukraine that makes its own choices about its future path,'' the White House said in a statement about Biden's visit.
