Tillerson taps career diplomat as Ukraine special envoy

It was unclear how the Russians might react to Mr. Tillerson's comments insisting that Moscow restore Ukraine's territorial integrity. "Its venue is still undecided, but we are determined to hold a decisive, accelerated, practical, detailed dialogue both in the telephone format and at the summit this summer", Poroshenko said at a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Kyiv on Sunday.

Ukraine has been rocked by suspected separatist movements along its border with Russian Federation since 2014.

Tillerson has appointed a special envoy to examine possibilities for jump-starting implementation of a two-year-old peace roadmap known as the Minsk Agreement.

Earlier, the USA state Department reported that the head of Department Rex Tillerson July 9, will pay a working visit to Kiev to meet with Poroshenko. Tillerson is in Ukraine to reaffirm American support as the country struggles with an insurgency in the east and attempts to crack down on corruption.

Kiev and its European allies have been alarmed by Mr Trump's determination to improve relations with the Kremlin, despite its role in Ukraine and alleged meddling in last year's United States presidential election campaign.

In surprisingly blunt language just two days after presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin met in Germany, Tillerson said Russian Federation should use its influence with separatists in Ukraine's east to fully restore an oft-violated truce, end harassment and attacks on global monitors and pull back heavy weaponry to lines agreed upon under a two-year-old accord known as the Minsk Agreement.

On Friday Trump broached the issue with the Russian leader in Hamburg, and Putin denied it. "And so I think that was about the way we expected the conversation to go".

"In all candidness we did not expect an answer other than the one we received", Tillerson told reporters Sunday in Kiev. "We want to acknowledge that, (but) we still have more to do", he said.

He noted that Mr. Trump agreed with Putin on the cyber front, and that they are looking to explore ways to deal with cyber threats and cyber security.

After a meeting later Sunday with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Poroshenko called on the world body to take a more active role in addressing Ukraine's problems.

"The election interference really shows how complicated the use of these types of tools are becoming", Mr. Tillerson continued.