Rice In Ukraine For Talks On Economic, Political Reforms

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (file photo) (RFE/RL) 7 December 2005 – U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in Ukraine today, in the first high-level visit to the country by a U.S. official since last winter's Orange Revolution.

Immediately after arriving, Rice met with Ukrainian Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov for talks on the status of Ukraine’s political and economic reforms.

Yekhanurov traveled in November to the United States to seek support for Ukraine's bid to join the World Trade Organization (WTO). The United States has yet to grant Ukraine market-economy status, a key prerequisite of WTO membership.

Rice is also holding talks with President Viktor Yushchenko. The two are expected to discuss Kyiv's long-term ambitions to join the European Union and NATO.

Rice will then deliver a speech to students before flying on to Brussels. Rice also held talks in Germany and Romania on 6 December.

(ITAR-TASS/Reuters/dpa)