CLINTON IN KIEV.

President Clinton’s two-day visit to Kiev will be the first state visit by an American president to Ukraine. (Earlier visits by President Bush in August 1991 and Clinton in January 1994 did not have that status.) Clinton will meet with Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, whose policies Clinton praised at the May 9 summit press conference in Moscow. He will also deliver a speech at the University of Kiev and visit Babi yar, the site of Nazi massacres of Jews during World War II. Although ceremony may appear to dominate substance at meetings where no serious disagreements are expected, Clinton’s visit may provide clues as to whether Washington’s cooling relationship with Moscow will lead to significantly warmer ties with Ukraine and the other non-Russian countries.

New Electoral Blocs Point to Soviet-Style Election.