Obama to meet Ukraine president Petro Poroshenko at the White House

Washington: US President Barack Obama would meet his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko at the White House on Thursday, the White House said. [caption id=“attachment_1714489” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. Reuters[/caption] “The visit will highlight the United States’ firm commitment to stand with Ukraine as it pursues liberal democracy, stability, and prosperity,” the White House said. Obama looks forward to discussing with Poroshenko efforts to pursue a diplomatic resolution to the crisis in eastern Ukraine as well as America’s continued support for Ukraine’s struggle to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, the White House said. The White House meeting would also be attended by the Vice President, Joe Biden. The Ukrainian President would meet the Secretary of State, John Kerry, earlier in the morning. In the morning, Poroshenko would address a joint session of the US Congress, on Capitol Hill, following which Biden has hosted a lunch for the visiting dignitary. “What you can expect that President Obama will do is continue to encourage President Poroshenko to pursue a diplomatic resolution of the differences between the Ukrainian government and the Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine,” the White House Press Secretary, Josh Earnest, told reporters. “There is a tenuous cease-fire agreement that’s been in place for a week or two now. I think President Poroshenko’s visit – at the invitation of President Obama – is a pretty clear symbol to everybody, including the people of Ukraine, that the United States is prepared to stand with them as they pursue a future that reflects the will of the Ukrainian people, and as they seek to protect their sovereignty and their territorial integrity from inappropriate outside interference,” he said. The White House also congratulated Ukraine for ratifying its association agreement with the European Union, and for passing the Amnesty and Special Status laws in parliament. PTI