LOC21:01
18:01 GMT
WASHINGTON, Aug 1 (KUNA) -- US Vice President Joe Biden spoke Friday with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko regarding the political situation in Ukraine, the Ukrainian government's efforts to ensure "unhindered" access to the MH17 crash site and Russia's "destabilizing" actions in eastern Ukraine.
The Office of the Vice President said in a statement that Biden also announced about USD eight million in new assistance to the Ukrainian State Border Guard Service.
According to the statement "this additional assistance includes engineering equipment for improving infrastructure along Ukraine's borders, transport and patrol vehicles, surveillance equipment to extend the visual range of border security patrols, and small boats to conduct maritime patrol and interdiction operations."
Meanwhile, Biden congratulated Poroshenko on the Ukrainian parliament's confidence vote in Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk "as well the passage of important economic reform bills and the ratification of agreements with Australia and the Netherlands for security personnel to access to the MH17 crash site in support of the international investigation."
For his part, Poroshenko informed Biden "that access to the crash site had been secured both yesterday and today despite continued separatist attacks in the vicinity.
"The two leaders also discussed Russia's deeply destabilizing efforts to continue supplying weapons to its proxies in eastern Ukraine and the increasing prevalence of artillery and rocket fire coming from the Russian side of the border," the statement noted.(end)
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