REUTERS

"President Poroshenko has demonstrated a commitment, along with the rest of the government of Ukraine, to implementing a whole bunch of anti-corruption reforms in Ukraine. And all along, the United States has continue to encourage President Poroshenko and other senior officials in the Ukrainian government to follow through with implementing those anti-corruption reforms," he said.

"There is more work that needs to be done. But when you consider the record of President Poroshenko's predecessor, it's clear that they've made some important progress. And what's clear also is that the successful implementation of those anti-corruption reforms will be critical to the long-term success of the nation of Ukraine. And as the United States continues to support Ukraine in offering some security assistance, but also in terms of providing economic assistance, we're also going to continue to encourage them to implement those reforms faithfully to ensure the long-term success of our partner," Earnest said.