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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release March 20, 1995

PRESIDENT CLINTON TO VISIT RUSSIA AND UKRAINE MAY 9-11

President Clinton will travel to Russia and Ukraine May 9-11 to attend ceremonies marking the 50th anniversary of V-E Day and for bilateral discussions with President Boris Yeltsin and President Leonid Kuchma.

The President will fly to Moscow May 9 to join other world leaders commemorating the great contribution made by the Russian people to the defeat of Nazi Germany and its allies in the Second World War.

The President will meet with President Yeltsin in Moscow for bilateral discussions on a range of issues, in keeping with the commitment by the two leaders to meet in the first half of 1995. The President has accepted an invitation to visit Kiev for meetings with Ukrainian President Kuchma, to build on the agenda defined during chma's visit to Washington last November.

In recognition of the enormous sacrifices made by U.S. veterans of World War Two and to honor the memory of their fallen comrades, the President will preside over the 50th anniversary commemorations at Arlington National Cemetery on May 8. Because this commitment has made it impossible to accept invitations to take part in V-E Day ceremonies in the United Kingdom, France and Germany, the President has asked Vice President Gore to represent him and all Americans at these commemorations in London, Paris and Berlin.