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Pence Expresses 'Unwavering' U.S. Support For Ukraine's Sovereignty


U.S. Vice President Mike Pence (right) meets with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin in Washington on May 10.
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence (right) meets with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin in Washington on May 10.

Vice President Mike Pence expressed the Trump administration's "unwavering support" for Ukraine's sovereignty in a meeting with the country's foreign minister on May 10.

A White House statement said Pence met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin as President Donald Trump was meeting with Klimkin's Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.

The statement said Pence stressed America's support for Ukraine's "territorial integrity" while urging Kyiv to "peacefully resolve the conflict" with Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.

The conflict with separatists began in 2014 about the same time Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, drawing condemnation and a series of sanctions on Russia from Europe and the United States.

Trump's meeting with Lavrov was aimed at fulfilling his campaign pledge to improve relations with Russia, while Pence's meeting with Klimkin appeared aimed at assuring Kyiv that better relations with Moscow would not come at Ukraine's expense.

Based on reporting by AP

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