15:42
21.4.2014
16:19
21.4.2014
Looking at a White House pool report on Vice President Joe Biden's trip to Ukraine. It says a senior administration official spoke to reporters during the flight and briefed them on what to expect during the two-day visit:
* During his meetings with Ukrainian officials on April 21, Biden will call for national unity and the implementation of last week's Geneva agreement.
* On the issue of energy, he will be looking into the prospects of reversing the flow of natural gas heading to Slovakia and Hungary in order to provide Ukraine with short-term supplies.
* Biden will speak with the government about the country's needs and discuss various avenues of U.S. economic, energy, and governance assistance.
* The vice president will seek to help the government in Kyiv to convince Ukrainians in the east and south that they will benefit from U.S. assistance.
* During his meetings with Ukrainian officials on April 21, Biden will call for national unity and the implementation of last week's Geneva agreement.
* On the issue of energy, he will be looking into the prospects of reversing the flow of natural gas heading to Slovakia and Hungary in order to provide Ukraine with short-term supplies.
* Biden will speak with the government about the country's needs and discuss various avenues of U.S. economic, energy, and governance assistance.
* The vice president will seek to help the government in Kyiv to convince Ukrainians in the east and south that they will benefit from U.S. assistance.
16:34
21.4.2014
18:13
21.4.2014
From our news desk:
A mediator from the OSCE, the Organization For Security And Cooperation in Europe, has held his first meeting with pro-Russian separatists in the eastern Ukrainian town of Slovyansk.
The OSCE has been charged with overseeing implementation of the agreement on de-escalation in Ukraine that was agreed on April 17 in Geneva between representatives of Ukraine, Russia, the United States, and European Union.
In Slovyansk, OSCE official Mark Etherington said he held two hours of talks on April 21 with Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, the leader of pro-Russian separatists in the town.
In his remarks to reporters, Etherington gave no indication of whether Ponomaryov and the pro-Russian activists were ready to disarm and vacate occupied public buildings, as called for in the Geneva agreement.
The OSCE has been charged with overseeing implementation of the agreement on de-escalation in Ukraine that was agreed on April 17 in Geneva between representatives of Ukraine, Russia, the United States, and European Union.
In Slovyansk, OSCE official Mark Etherington said he held two hours of talks on April 21 with Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, the leader of pro-Russian separatists in the town.
In his remarks to reporters, Etherington gave no indication of whether Ponomaryov and the pro-Russian activists were ready to disarm and vacate occupied public buildings, as called for in the Geneva agreement.
08:12
22.4.2014
Good morning, starting up the live blog for another day. Here's our latest news wrap.
08:14
22.4.2014
A good example of how many in the Maidan feel about the East.
08:39
22.4.2014
With Biden still in Kyiv today, here's a rundown from our news desk on his plans/meetings:
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden is holding talks on April 22 in Kyiv on the final day of a high-profile visit to express Washington's support for the Ukrainian leadership amid the crisis with Russia.
Biden is scheduled to meet with acting President Oleksandr Turchynov, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, and members of parliament.
He is expected to announce a package of technical assistance to Ukraine, focused on energy and economic aid.
Meanwhile, the United States and Russia are blaming each other for violating a peace deal to ease the country's crisis.
The Geneva agreement calls for all illegal Ukrainian armed groups to disarm and for all protesters to end their occupation of public facilities.
Washington says it is considering new sanctions on Russia if Moscow does not make an effort to implement the accord, while Russia has called on Washington to use its influence to pressure Kyiv to fully implement the deal.
Biden is scheduled to meet with acting President Oleksandr Turchynov, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, and members of parliament.
He is expected to announce a package of technical assistance to Ukraine, focused on energy and economic aid.
Meanwhile, the United States and Russia are blaming each other for violating a peace deal to ease the country's crisis.
The Geneva agreement calls for all illegal Ukrainian armed groups to disarm and for all protesters to end their occupation of public facilities.
Washington says it is considering new sanctions on Russia if Moscow does not make an effort to implement the accord, while Russia has called on Washington to use its influence to pressure Kyiv to fully implement the deal.
08:50
22.4.2014
09:03
22.4.2014
Meanwhile, Christiane Amanpour covers the dispute over the origins of the dish Chicken Kyiv.
09:23
22.4.2014