March 18, 2014

Biden in Poland, Lithuania to reassure allies on Russia's borders

Featuring: Julianne Smith

Source: Reuters

Journalist: Roberta Rampton

(Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden landed in Warsaw on Tuesday on a mission to reassure allies in eastern Europe that Washington understands their anxieties about Russia's actions inUkraine and will protect them if needed, officials said.

The countries have become increasingly nervous that they could be next in line to face aggression from Russia after President Vladimir Putin's interventions to annex Ukraine's Crimea region.

On the two-day mission, Biden plans to discuss ways to help the region become less dependent on Russian oil and gas and limit Moscow's ability to use its energy supplies for political leverage, a senior administration official said.

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Author

  • Julianne Smith

    Former Adjunct Senior Fellow, Transatlantic Security Program

    Julianne (“Julie”) Smith is a contributing editor to Foreign Policy, where she coedits “Shadow Government.” She is also a senior advisor at WestExec Advisors, an adjunct senio...