U.S pledges support for Ukraine

KIEV - In a show of U.S. support for
Ukraine's embattled government, Vice President
Joe Biden delivered an aid package on Tuesday
and demanded Russia back off but also warned
Kiev it must tackle the "cancer of corruption".

Demanding Moscow "stop talking and start acting"
to disarm pro-Russian separatists who Ukraine says
aim to undermine the May 25 election, Biden told
presidential candidates it may be "the most
important election in Ukrainian history".

Part of the $50-million aid package was earmarked
to support the "integrity" of the vote. But after 23
years of post-Soviet independence from Moscow
that have seen endemic graft sap the economy and
public faith in the state, Biden told lawmakers: "To
be very blunt ... you have to fight the cancer of corruption."

Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk, who took office
after the overthrow of Ukraine's Kremlin-backed
president two months ago, told him that this would
be a priority of the new administration.

Repeating a threat of heavier economic sanctions
after those impose following the annexation of
Crimea last month, Biden renewed U.S. calls for
Russia to pull back troops from Ukraine's eastern
border and said "time is short" for Moscow for
show it is upholding its commitments under a four- way agreement signed at Geneva on Thursday that
is intended to defuse the crisis. Ukraine and its U.S. and European Union allies,
which signed the accord with Russia, complain
Moscow is failing to persuade separatists in the east
to disarm and vacate occupied public buildings.


Russia denies it is orchestrating the militants, who
say they want the chance to join Crimea in being annexed by Moscow. "No nation should threaten its neighbors by
amassing troops along the border.

We call on
Russia to pull these forces," Biden told a joint news
conference after meeting Yatseniuk. "We have been clear that more provocative
behavior by Russia will lead to more costs and to
greater isolation," the vice president said.


"We've
heard a lot from Russian officials in the past few
days.

But now it's time for Russia to stop talking
and start acting." Biden added: "We will not allow this to become an
open ended process.

Time is short in which to
make progress." Yatseniuk said: "Everything that is now happening
in the east and which Russia is supporting is aimed
at wrecking the presidential election.

"We demand that our Russian neighbors
immediately recall their special forces, which are in
the east, recall the army from Crimea and turn this
shameful page in which Ukrainian territory has
been seized by Russian troops."