Biden to travel to Ukraine as unrest builds

Vice President Biden will travel to Ukraine later this month to meet with government officials and civic groups ahead of the Ukrainian presidential election.

The White House says he will travel to the capital of Kiev on May 22 to focus on international efforts to help stabilize and strengthen Ukraine’s economy.

{mosads}”The vice president will underscore the United States’ strong support for a united, democratic Ukraine that makes its own choices about its future path,” the White House said in a statement Saturday.

He will also assist the country in efforts on constitutional reform, decentralization, anti-corruption, and free and fair presidential elections set for May 25.

The announcement comes as uprisings by pro-Russian separatists have unsettled the country after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in February.