Joe Biden to attend Ukraine president`s inauguration

Washington: US Vice President Joe Biden would travel to Kiev to attend the inauguration of the Ukrainian President-elect Petro Poroshenko on June 7, the White House has said.

Biden will lead a US delegation to Kiev for Saturday`s event and meet Ukrainian leaders to discuss the volatile situation in eastern Ukraine. "The Vice President will also hold meetings with Ukraine`s leaders to discuss President-elect Poroshenko`s agenda, the situation in the east, and how the United States can assist Ukraine with fighting corruption, strengthening its democratic institutions, and putting its economy back on a path towards sustainable growth," the White House said. US President Barack Obama is also scheduled to meet with Poroshenko in Poland on Wednesday. The US has stood strongly by Ukraine as it battles a separatist insurgency in the east which the United States says is backed by Russia. Meanwhile, the United States has opposed an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to introduce a resolution demanding an immediate halt to deadly clashes in eastern Ukraine. "The UN proposal, it is hypocritical of the Russian leadership to call for an end to violence and the creation of humanitarian corridors when, at the same time, armed irregular forces are entering Ukraine from Russia, weapons are being brought illegally from Russia into Ukraine, Russian-backed separatists are attacking new targets and holding OSCE monitoring teams hostage, and Russia is doing nothing to stop these activities," State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki said. "So if they are going to call for or would support a reduction in tensions and a de-escalation, it would be more effective for them to end those activities," Psaki told reporters at her daily news conference.