Joe Biden, US vice-president, subjected Ukraine's rancorous coalition government to a barrage of criticism in a speech yesterday that highlighted Washington's break with the former Bush administration's support for allies such as Kiev and Tbilisi.

On a trip intended to reassure both Ukraine and Georgia of support in the wake of the US push to re-engage with Russia - and President Barack Obama's visit to Moscow this month - Mr Biden, nevertheless, spelled out the new administration's concerns about Kiev's political direction.

"Communications among leaders has broken down to such an extent that political posturing appears to prevent progress," he said, recalling the expectations stirred by Ukraine's 2004 Orange revolution, hailed at the time as a decisive break with Moscow but followed by prolonged political infighting. "Friendship requires honesty," he said. "The great promise of 2004 has yet to be fully realised."

Referring to Ukraine's economic problems, Mr Biden asked: "Can you name me a place where democracy has flourished where the economic system has failed?"

He continued: "Mature democracies survive be-cause they develop institutions such as a free press, a truly independent court system, an effective legislature - all of which serve as a check on the corruption that fuels the cynicism and limits growth in any country, including yours."

Mr Biden's speech, in which he also called on Ukraine to reduce its reliance on outside suppliers such as Russia by improving its energy efficiency, contrasted sharply with an address given by Dick Cheney in Lithuania in 2006. On that occasion, the former vice-president said that "from Freedom Square in Tbilisi to Independence Square in Kiev, and beyond, patriots have stepped forward to claim their just inheritance of liberty and independence".

While Mr Cheney also denounced Russian use of its energy resources for "intimidation or blackmail", Mr Biden stressed the Obama administration's goal of pressing the "reset" button with Moscow - a goal he set out in February.

Obama administration officials express the hope that if Moscow and Washington co-operate in a number of areas including arms control, Russia will have more incentive to join the US's bid to increase pressure on Iran over its nuclear programme.

But Mr Biden was quick to emphasise the US's continued rejection of any Russian claims of a sphere of influence over its "near abroad" - the message intended to be the centrepiece of his trip. "As we reset the relationship with Russia, we reaffirm our commitment to an independent Ukraine," he said. "Ukraine today is one of the most free and democratic nations in this region."

Ukraine and Georgia have both pushed for security guarantees from the west in the light of last year's Georgian-Russian war. But the political strife in Ukraine and charges that Georgia's government acted recklessly in the run-up to last year's conflict have delivered a big blow to their hopes of joining Nato.

Mr Biden arrived last night in Georgia. While he rallied to the country's cause during last year's US presidential election, his message this year is more nuanced, focusing on mutual restraint between Moscow and Tbilisi and democratic reform within Georgia itself.

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