Vice President Joe Biden will meet with leaders in Kiev, Ukraine, on April 22, the White House said in a statement Saturday.
"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 statement said.
Biden will also "Discuss the latest developments in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists, apparently with the support of Moscow, continue an orchestrated campaign of incitement and sabotage to destabilize the Ukrainian state," The statement said.
The news comes as several cities in eastern Ukraine saw coordinated moves by protesters to take over buildings. Acting Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchinov held an emergency National Defense and Security Council meeting Saturday evening in Kiev, according to the President's press office. Ref. CNN
400 US mercenaries 'deployed on ground' in Ukraine military op:
About 400 elite mercenaries from the notorious US private security firm Academi (Formerly Blackwater) are taking part in the Ukrainian military operation against anti-government protesters in southeastern regions of the country, German media reports. Ref. Source 7
US will train and arm the Ukrainian National Guard next year:
"The Defense Department and State Department have notified Congress of our intent to use $19 million in global security contingency fund authority to train and equip four companies and one tactical headquarters of the Ukrainian National Guard" Ref. Source 3