Obama vows to stand with Ukraine as he meets President-elect in Poland
June 4, 2014 -- Updated 1739 GMT (0139 HKT)
Obama vows to stand with Ukraine
Obama's meeting in
Warsaw, Poland, with Ukrainian President-elect Petro Poroshenko can be
seen as a sign of U.S. support for the government in Kiev as it battles
to quell a pro-Russian separatist uprising in Ukraine's East.
Ukrainian authorities
claimed Wednesday to have inflicted heavy losses on militant forces in
the Donetsk region, at the same time as acknowledging that separatists
have now seized two military bases in Luhansk. A separatist leader gave
conflicting casualty figures.
In remarks at a ceremony
to mark the 25th anniversary of Poland's return to democracy, Obama also
voiced his backing for Ukraine, and said the United States would stand
up for freedom across the region.
The United States maintains an "unwavering commitment," now and forever, to the security of its NATO allies, Obama said.
Poland and former Soviet
states "will never stand alone," Obama said. "These are not just words.
They are unbreakable commitments backed by the strongest alliance in the
world and by the armed forces of the United States of America -- the
most powerful military in history."
He also vowed to stand
with Ukraine, which is not a member of NATO, in the face of Russian
"aggression," including its annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region in
March.
"Ukraine must be free to choose its own future, for itself and by itself," Obama said.
"We will not accept
Russia's occupation of Crimea or its violation of Ukraine's sovereignty.
Our free nations will stand united so that further Russian provocations
will only mean more isolation and costs for Russia."
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Obama, who spoke after
Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski at the solemn ceremony in the
heart of Warsaw, also paid tribute to the Poles whose struggle for
democracy lit a spark for revolutionary change.
The 1989 election
commemorated Wednesday "was the beginning of the end of communism -- in
this country and across Europe," he said.
'Deeply impressed'
Addressing reporters
earlier alongside Poroshenko, Obama said he was "deeply impressed" by
the newly elected leader's vision of what is required to help Ukraine
grow.
"The challenge now for
the international community is to make sure that we are supportive of
Petro's efforts, and the United States has already stepped up in a
number of ways," he said.
Obama said the pair had
discussed additional steps the United States can take to help Ukraine
through its transition process, including helping to train Ukrainian law
enforcement officers and providing more nonlethal aid to its military.
He also spoke of the
need for Ukraine to undertake economic reforms, including steps to
reduce its dependence on natural gas supplies from Russia, currently
used by Moscow as a means of leverage.
Poroshenko, a business
magnate seen as pro-European, is due to be sworn in Saturday. He thanked
the United States for its support and said the Ukrainian people had
shown their solidarity in rejecting Russia's annexation of Crimea.
G7 diplomacy
The U.S. President heads
next to Brussels, Belgium -- the second stop of his three-nation tour
-- for a meeting of the G7 group of industrialized nations.
A preview of the G8 minus one
Poland praises U.S. on Ukraine
Donetsk Gov.: Must stabilize situation
Militants' plea to Russia goes unanswered
Obama led the
international effort to suspend Russia's participation in the world
group of economic powers. That suspension resulted in the relocation of
this year's planned G8 summit from Sochi, Russia, to Brussels, as the
leaders of the G7 nations decided to meet without Russia.
Obama suggested Tuesday
that Russian President Vladimir Putin could regain the trust "shattered"
by Russia's incursion into Ukraine, but only if Moscow plays by the
rules and stops destabilizing Ukraine.
Putin "has a choice to
make" on Ukraine, Obama said, calling on the Russian President to
continue to pull back troops from the border with Ukraine, persuade
pro-Russian separatists to stand down and back Ukraine's recent
presidential election.
Obama and Putin are
likely to cross paths while both are in France at the end of the week
for events to mark the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings, but no
formal talks have been announced.
However, German
Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet Putin on the sidelines of the D-Day
events Friday for discussions on Ukraine, the German government said.
British Prime Minister
David Cameron will meet the Russian leader on Thursday night, Downing
Street said, adding that their talks will focus on steps Russia can take
to de-escalate the crisis.
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