Washington: US Vice President Joe Biden will leave for Ukraine and Georgia on Sunday amid concern in both nations that their relations with the United States could suffer as US-Russian relations improve.
Biden will seek to underline US support for the sovereignty of the two former Soviet republics, which have increasingly turned away from Russia and now hope to become NATO alliance members.
Both countries have difficult relations with Russia, which is unhappy about the increasingly strong US and NATO relations with its former satellites.
The tensions culminated last year in an August war between Russia and Georgia over South Ossetia, a territory that proclaimed its independence from Georgia in the 1990s but is not internationally recognized as a nation state.
When Georgia`s pro-American president Mikhail Saakashvili sent soldiers into the territory in an attempt to retake control, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev responded in kind.
The Russian military defeated Georgia`s forces and Russia quickly declared South Ossetia independent.
The war served to exacerbate discord between Russia and the United States in the final months of former president George W Bush`s administration.
Since taking office in January, Obama has tried to restart US-Russian relations, but during a visit to Moscow last week he "reiterated my firm belief that Georgia`s sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected."
Georgia responded positively to Obama`s statements, with Saakashvili saying in remarks after the US President`s trip to Russia: "There was no trade-off; Georgia has not been sold."
However, in an apparent snub to Obama, Medvedev is scheduled to make his first visit to South Ossetia on Monday.
Georgian Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Giga Bokeria said he understands US attempts to improve its relations with Russia.
"We cannot be against such cooperation. But the US-Russian cooperation must not... be developed at the expense of fundamental values. Otherwise it could have catastrophic consequences for international security," he said.
"Our efforts to reset relations with Russia will not come at the expense of any other country," said Tony Blinken, national security advisor to the Vice President.
"We will continue to reject the notion of spheres of influence, and we will continue to stand by the principle that sovereign democracies have the right to make their own decisions and choose their own partnerships and alliances."
Blinken added that, despite opposition from Moscow, the door to NATO remains open for Georgia and the Ukraine.
According to a source close the Ukranian presidency, Kiev is hoping to secure a bilateral deal with the United States containing national security guarantees.
The United States is close to announcing a deal to begin negotiations on the subject, the source said.
In addition to international relations, the United States is focused on democratic efforts inside both countries, according to Blinken, who said both nations face "the challenge of fulfilling the promise" of their revolutions.
Energy concerns will also be a topic of discussion in Ukraine, where continuing conflicts with Russia over the price of gas have interrupted Europe`s gas supply.
Biden leaves Washington on Sunday night and is expected to arrive in the Ukraine on Monday night. He will arrive in Georgia on Wednesday evening and return to the United States the following night.
Bureau Report
