Kiev: US President Barack Obama will meet Ukraine’s president-elect next week during a European tour aimed at shoring up regional security amid reports that a second team of European monitors went missing in the country’s restive east.
The meeting in Warsaw will come less than two weeks after pro-European Petro Poroshenko, a chocolate tycoon, was elected in the shadow of a showdown between Washington and Moscow over the fate of Ukraine that has brought relations to their lowest level since the Cold War.
In Warsaw, Mr Obama will attend celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of Poland’s first post-communist elections.
“This is an important time for President Obama to affirm directly to president-elect Poroshenko our commitment to. Ukraine,” said Ben Rhodes, a deputy US national security adviser.
Mr Rhodes said Mr Obama would support Ukraine’s efforts to reduce tension and pursue dialogue and the unity of the former Soviet republic.
“We very much admired the people of Ukraine who turned out in huge numbers to elect president-elect Mr Poroshenko. We have admired his commitment to dialogue,” Mr Rhodes said.
Meanwhile, Ukraine accused Russia on Saturday of unleashing a global propaganda campaign to persuade global powers not to recognise an election that gave the presidency to a pro-Western tycoon.
Washington for its part admitted to a “fundamental disagreement” with Russia and said President Barack Obama would meet Petro Poroshenko.
Ukraine’s acting foreign minister said Russia was now using every means at its disposal to unsettle the new Kiev leaders and regain control over its historic domain.
“Five days since elections, there has been no official recognition yet,” Andriy Deshchytsya wrote in a piece.
