Biden: Kyiv shouldn't give the EU a reason to lift sanctions on Russia
The Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden, called on Ukraine to speed up the reform process, warning that some European countries are waiting for a reason to remove the sanctions against Russia.
“We know that there are at least five countries that will refuse to participate in the continued extension of sanctions against Russia, should Ukraine give the European Union a reason to do so,” Biden said in his speech before the Foreign Affairs Council in New York on the 21st of September. The prevailing opinion in Europe is to say: “Listen, it belonged to Russia before Putin became the Russian President. There was a puppet government. So, what is the difference? Why we are forced to participate in the imposition of these sanctions?”
The Vice President of the United States stressed that Ukraine should make sure that the responsibility for the failure of the implementation of Minsk Agreements is not shifted to Kyiv. “All this time, I have constantly reminded Ukraine that they should understand that everyone wants to blame the victim; and that is why it would be better to draw conclusions and act properly.”
Joe Biden made his statement the day after his meeting with the President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, on the sidelines of the meeting of the U.N. General Assembly in New York. Ukraine has received financial assistance from the United States and Western allies in exchange for a promise to implement reforms. However, its progress in the reform process is controversial, Reuters notes.