Vice President Biden spoke today with President Poroshenko of Ukraine. The two leaders discussed recent tensions on the Crimean Peninsula, which is occupied by Russian forces in contravention of international law. The Vice President urged President Poroshenko to do his part to avoid escalating tensions. The Vice President noted that we have urged the Russian side to do the same. Both leaders reiterated their strong support for political and diplomatic means to restore Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, in particular through full implementation of the Minsk Agreements. The leaders also reviewed recent progress towards fulfilling IMF conditions for disbursing ‎the next tranche of financial assistance, and agreed on the importance of recent Ukrainian efforts to continue critical anti-corruption reforms.