KIEV, Oct. 19 – During his visit to Washington, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin met with National Security Advisor Susan Rice, Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken, Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs Amos Hochstein, and Coordinator for Sanctions Policy Daniel Fried.

The officials discussed the progress of the implementation of the Minsk agreements. It was emphasized that Russia-backed rebels must comply with the provisions regarding the withdrawal of arms, ceasefire, as well as ensure full access of the OSCE observers as prerequisites for holding the local elections in Donbas, which must fully comply with Ukrainian laws, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's press service reported.