The United States and Ukraine on Friday signed here a new strategic partnership statement, pledging to beef up cooperation to curb Russia's influence over the former Soviet republic and countries in the region.
Under the joint declaration, Washington and Kiev will be expanding economic and security ties while the former also has reiterated its commitment to eventual NATO membership for the latter.
"We have long thought Ukraine's independence, its democracy is essential to a Europe whole and free," U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said at the signing ceremony.
Mass media has noticed that apart from covering bilateral cooperation in fields of economic development and defense, the U.S.-Ukraine agreement also deals with the American intention to open a diplomatic mission in Crimea, an autonomous republic of Ukraine located on the northern coast of the Black Sea.
"We're considering opening an American presence post in the Crimean capital of Simferopol to expand ... exchanges and promote mutual understanding between the United States and the Crimean region," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ohryzko said after the signing ceremony that the statement on Crimea reflected "a very normal decision by the American government to have more diplomatic presence in various regions of Ukraine."
Source: Xinhua
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