United States Vice President Joe Biden has arrived in Kiev on a visit to Ukraine. On Wednesday he will travel to Georgia.

Mr Biden wants to reassure the two former Soviet republics that their relations with the US will not be harmed by the recent rapprochement between the US and Russia.

The two countries would like to become members of NATO, a move Russia opposes. However, they are worried that the US might weaken its support for their proposed NATO membership to avoid rebuffing Russia. Mr Biden wants to dispel those fears.

The vice president will also emphasise that Washington does not recognise the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the two Georgian breakaway states over which Russia and Georgia fought a brief war in 2008.

Photo of Joe Biden by Center for American Progress Action Fund (flickr)