Leaders of Ukraine are worried about further incursions by Russia

As Ukraine deals with possible bankruptcy, uprisings in the east by pro-Russian separatists and Russian troops deployed along the Ukrainian border have unsettled the country.President Barack Obama will be on a trip to Asia at the same time Biden visits Ukraine.Vice President Biden travels to Ukraine later this month to show U.S. support for the government ahead of May elections and amid concern about Russia's next moves.Biden "will underscore the United States' strong support for a united, democratic Ukraine that makes its own choices about its future path," the White House said in a statement.President Obama's vice president travels to Kiev on April 22, and will meet with government leaders and members of civil society.

Leaders of Ukraine are worried about further incursions by Russia, which this year annexed the Crimea region despite international protests.Ukraine is scheduled to hold new elections on May 25.The White House says that Biden "will discuss the latest developments in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists, apparently with the support of Moscow, continue an orchestrated campaign of incitement and sabotage to destabilize the Ukrainian state."Other topics include energy, U.S. assistance, and "the international munity's efforts to help stabilize and strengthen Ukraine's economy and to assist Ukraine in moving forward on constitutional reform, decentralization, anti-corruption efforts," said the White House.Watch out Washington, here I e!

I leave the Oregon coast late this afternoon to spend a few days up in Washington. It seems only fair, since Seaside has been crawling with Washingtonians on spring break this weekend.
I plan to visit the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival at Mount Vernon, which is one of the biggest rural tourism events in the Northwest. It's difficult to count, but attendance has been estimated at 350,000 upward to 500,000 for the month long event all of April.I'll also be posting next weekend Saturday, Sunday maybe into Monday about things to do and places to see this travel year in Washington. Among them will be Mount St. Helens, Olympic Peninsula, Walla Walla wine, Mount Adams and much more. Some of it will be fresh reporting, but other parts will be links to things I've written before.