President Obama is seated with Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko as they meet with other countries regarding Ukraine at the NATO summit at Celtic Manor in Newport, Wales, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2014. At rear center is Secretary of State John Kerry. AP
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko comes to Washington on Thursday for meetings with President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry. At the invitation of House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, he'll also deliver an address before a joint session of Congress Thursday morning.
By granting Poroshenko this level of attention, American lawmakers are sending a clear signal to the world, and Russian President Vladimir Putin in particular, that the U.S. firmly stands by Ukraine as it attempts to defend its sovereignty and peacefully negotiate with pro-Russian separatists.
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"The picture of President Poroshenko sitting in the Oval Office will be worth at least a thousand words, both in English and in Russian I think," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Tuesday.
Earnest added that Mr. Obama is committed to ensuring the U.S. stands with Ukraine, but it remains to be seen what further financial or military commitments the U.S. will make -- and how much good that assistance would do.
"We're not going to be in a position to solve Poroshenko's problems for him," said Joseph Dresen, an associate of Kennan Institute, a division of the Woodrow Wilson Center that focuses on Russia and Ukraine.
"We are not going to be able to convince Russia to settle with Kiev. If that were possible we would've already managed it," Dresen told CBS News. "President Poroshenko can expect an expression of this administration's support, this country's support, but that support is only going to go so far."
After Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine, the White House worked with Congress in March to approve aid for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia. The White House has continued to step up sanctions against Russia. Still, Russia still claims control of Crimea, and pro-Russian separatists in the Donbas region of Ukraine are still seeking more autonomy. Meanwhile, Ukraine's economy is flailing, and corruption remains a major problem.
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Ukraine's president in Washington, seeking more than moral support