Readout of Vice President Biden's Meeting with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko

Vice President Joe Biden met today with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. The two leaders discussed the implementation of the Minsk agreements and the need for Russia to press the separatists it backs to cancel sham elections in the separatist-controlled parts of the Donbas, which, if held, would be in direct contravention of the Minsk Implementation Plan. The Vice President welcomed the recently concluded agreement on further demilitarization along the line of contact, but expressed concern over the failure by the separatists to grant full access to OSCE monitors and Russia's continued deployment of troops and weapons inside Ukraine. The two leaders also discussed the need to strengthen regional energy security, as well as domestic political developments in advance of local Ukrainian elections in October.