KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — With President Petro Poroshenko slipping in the polls a week ahead of elections, Ukraine's government is trying to put a brave face on his achievements, insisting it is well on its way to delivering on the demands of the Maidan protest movement that drove the previous Russia-backed president from power in 2014.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Friday, Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin insists that Ukraine has Russia on its knees, and that his country is making good progress toward taking its place among Western European democracies.

He says: "Ukraine is already part of the trans-Atlantic community. It should formally become part of this trans-Atlantic community."

Ukrainians will vote for a new president on March 31, with a likely second round in April.