The Vice President spoke today to President Poroshenko of Ukraine. The Vice President welcomed the passage by the Rada this week of anti-corruption legislation sought by the IMF and EU, and commended President Poroshenko and the government of Ukraine for the hard work that went into ensuring passage. The Vice President also commended President Poroshenko’s decision to replace Prosecutor General Shokin, which paves the way for needed reform of the prosecutorial service. The Vice President urged President Poroshenko to continue on this positive trajectory, to include successful implementation of the new legislation and continued visible progress on anti-corruption reforms, noting this will require unity and stability. The Vice President condemned the increasing violence in eastern Ukraine – which has led to a deteriorating humanitarian situation – and the continued failure by combined Russian-separatist forces to allow the OSCE full access to the areas under their de facto control. The Vice President noted that Minsk implementation by all sides remained the best way forward for resolving the conflict.