Biden urges Ukrainians to fight corruption - matter of national security

11:47, 16.01.2017 1 min read

U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden has called on Ukrainians to intensify the fight against corruption in the country, as Russia uses corruption as a foreign policy instrument of pressure on Ukraine.

Biden said at a joint briefing with President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko in Kyiv on Monday that he wants to encourage Ukrainians to continue the fight against corruption, insist on transparency, investigate and prosecute officials who squander public money for their own enrichment.

In this context Biden said that Russia for the past ten years uses another weapon of foreign policy: corruption as a tool against Ukraine to keep Ukraine vulnerable and dependent. He said implementation of reforms is necessary to eradicate corruption.

At the same time, U.S. vice president stressed that these issues are crucial to the preservation of the Ukrainian state. This is an extremely important issue of national security, not just a matter of good governance, he said.