President Barack Obama met for about 20 minutes Monday with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, an unexpected discussion that came against the backdrop of upheaval in Ukraine, senior administration officials said.
Messrs. Obama and Garibashvili, who was at the White House for a meeting with Vice President Joe Biden, talked about Ukraine and Georgia’s recent transition of power, discussing how the two countries can increase trade ties, the officials said.
Mr. Obama’s meeting served to highlight the U.S. view of Georgia as an example of a onetime Soviet republic that has had a successful democratic transition and is forging ties to the West.
Ukraine has just withstood months of political instability and violence over its future, with interim leaders trying to gain control of government while urgently seeking international financial support.
The senior Obama administration officials, briefing reporters, described two aid efforts under way for Ukraine: an International Monetary Fund package and “complementary” aid from the U.S. and Europe.
One senior administration official said aid to Ukraine would meet whatever the country’s financing needs are, suggesting it could exceed the $15 billion that had been pledged by Russia.
“We’re just not in a position to talk about specific dollar figures but recognize that the needs of the Ukraine economy over the next two years are substantial,” one of the senior administration officials said.
At the State Department, spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said that the administration would need congressional support to join European countries in assembling the complementary aid for Ukraine, separate from the IMF.
Both forms of aid – the IMF aid and the complementary assistance from the U.S. and Europe – would require that Ukraine’s transitional government be in place.
In Mr. Obama’s meeting with the Georgian prime minister, the two also talked about Afghanistan, and Mr. Obama expressed support for all of Georgia’s political party leaders, the officials said.
Mr. Biden is also scheduled to hold separate meetings this week with Prime Minister Iurie Leanca of Moldova and Swiss President Didier Burkhalter, who is also chair of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The officials said Mr. Obama is not expected to drop in on those meetings.
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