Biden promises economic assistance to Ukraine

US Vice President Joe Biden told Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchnov in Kiev that the US and the EU were ready to help Ukraine solve its economic problems including getting loans from the IMF, it was learned here on Tuesday. Biden, after meeting with acting Ukrainian prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, urged Russia to withdraw its troops from their location adjacent to the border with Ukraine, noting that in the case of Russia's refusal to do so, it would face continued isolation and regional tension, according to Itar-Tass news agency. Russian spokesman for president Vladimir Putin's office rationalized presence of the troops on the border with Ukraine to purely security considerations.