22/04/2014 10:48
Ukraine crisis: Biden to meet Kiev leaders in show of support
US Vice-President Joe Biden is to meet Ukraine's new leaders in a show of support for the pro-Western government, the BBC reported.
Mr Biden is due to discuss the upcoming elections with the country's interim prime minister and president during his visit to Kiev.
A phone conversation between the US secretary of state and Russia's foreign minister earlier led to both sides blaming the other over the crisis.
Meanwhile, funerals are due to take place for three men shot on Sunday.
The men were killed during a raid on a checkpoint manned by pro-Russian separatists near the town of Sloviansk in eastern Ukraine.
The circumstances remain unclear. The local separatists said the attack was carried out by ultra-nationalist Right Sector militants. Kiev called it a "provocation" staged by Russian special forces.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the Kiev authorities on Monday of breaking last week's Geneva accord on resolving the Ukraine crisis.
He said the Kiev government - not recognised by Moscow - had not moved to disarm illegal groups, especially the Right Sector.
The authorities in Kiev say they were surprised by Mr Lavrov's remarks and blame Russia for the instability.
In a phone call, Mr Lavrov urged US Secretary of State John Kerry "to influence Kiev, to prevent hotheads there from provoking a bloody conflict," according to the Kremlin.
Meanwhile, the US state department said Mr Kerry "urged Russia to take concrete steps to help implement the Geneva agreement, including publicly calling on separatists to vacate illegal buildings and checkpoints.”