Biden says Russia, Russia-backed separatists still fail to fully implement first steps of Minsk peace plan – White House

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has said that Russia and Russia-backed separatists had still failed to fully implement the first few steps under the February 12, 2015 Minsk Implementation Plan calling for a ceasefire and the removal of heavy weapons from the line of contact.

"The two leaders also discussed the implementation of the Minsk agreements. Both leaders agreed that Russia and Russia-backed separatists had still failed to fully implement the first few steps under the February 12, 2015 Minsk Implementation Plan calling for a ceasefire and the removal of heavy weapons from the line of contact," this follows from the readout of the Vice President's call with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko available on the White House website.

In a course of the telephone talk, Biden welcomed Poroshenko's proposal to create a 30-kilometer zone free of tanks, artillery and mortar systems along the line of contact in eastern Ukraine, to be monitored by the OSCE.

Besides, the two leaders discussed ongoing U.S. security assistance for Ukraine, Ukraine's anti-corruption efforts, energy security, and the urgency of seeking justice in the Malaysia Airlines MH-17 tragedy.

The U.S. Vice President welcomed the recent reform laws that were passed by the Rada and noted the need for keeping the pace with Ukraine’s reform agenda, particularly on combating corruption.