Readout of the Vice President's Call with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko

Vice President Joe Biden spoke today with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko about the situation in eastern Ukraine. The leaders discussed Russia's ongoing support for the separatists and apparent escalation of the conflict over the last few days. President Poroshenko informed the Vice President of Ukraine's attempts to arrange for a trilateral Contact Group meeting with the separatists under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which the separatists refused to attend. The Vice President told President Poroshenko that the United States was engaging with European leaders to discuss the imposition of costs on Russia for its continued escalation of the conflict.