STATE/UKRAINE: “The State Department has tapped Kurt Volker to be its special representative for Ukraine, the department announced Friday [7-7-17].
Volker will be tasked with advancing US efforts to the achieve the objectives of the 2014 Minsk agreements between Ukraine and Russia.
After Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, the Minsk agreements were reached as an attempt to bring about a cease-fire between Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists.
Volker, a former US ambassador to NATO, will accompany Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to Kiev this weekend, where Tillerson will meet with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, following Friday’s meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The State Department said Volker is expected to hold regular meetings with Ukraine, Russia and others.”
-Jeremy Herb, “State Department names special envoy to Ukraine,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, July 7, 2017 11:45am