American Vice President Joe Biden is expected in Bucharest next week for talks with the Romanian President Traian Basescu and Prime Minister Victor Ponta, among topics also being the situation in Ukraine, according to official sources cited by local news agency Mediafax.

“There have been discussions to organize a high-level meeting between Romania and the US before the crisis in Ukraine, but recent events have accelerated this meeting,” sources told Mediafax.

At this time, Joe Biden’s visit is scheduled for next week, official sources said, but was not yet officially announced in case last minute changes appear. The meeting would be part of a series of short talks with officials from other countries in the region.

UPDATE: According to a recent statement of the White House, Vice President Biden and Dr. Jill Biden will travel to Romania and Cyprus from May 20-23, 2014.

In Bucharest, the Vice President will meet with Romanian President Basescu and Prime Minister Ponta, according to the statement, which confirms the recent information appeared in the media. He will also meet with the Romanian civil society and youth leaders, and with American and Romanian troops conducting a joint capacity-building exercise.

“The Vice President will underscore the United States’ ironclad commitment to the collective defense of NATO under Article 5, and express appreciation for Romania’s contributions to regional and global security,” reads the statement.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com