WASHINGTON, D.C.
U.S. President Barack Obama phoned the Ukrainian president-elect on Tuesday to congratulate him and offer him "the full support of the United States as he seeks to unify and move his country forward," said a statement from the White House.
Obama stressed the importance of quickly implementing the reforms necessary to bring Ukraine together, the statement added.
On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called Ukraine’s presidential election on Sunday a clear sign of the Ukrainian people’s desire to live in a united and democratic state.
Billionaire Petro Poroshenko declared victory in the presidential election on Sunday, and leads all other candidates with 55.9 percent of the vote, effectively obviating the need for a run-off.
'Clear message'
Final voter turnout in Sunday’s nationwide poll was 60 percent, according to Ukraine’s Central Election Commission, which Secretary Kerry said was an indication of Ukrainian citizens seeking unity and peace.
“The large turnout sends a clear message: the Ukrainian people want to live in a united, democratic and peaceful Ukraine anchored in European institutions,” Kerry said in a statement released to the press on Monday. “The successful conduct of these elections reaffirms Ukraine’s commitment to the democratic process.”
Kerry welcomed a preliminary report by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the EU’s security body, which stated that the election demonstrated “the clear resolve of the authorities to hold what was a genuine election largely in line with international commitments and with a respect for fundamental freedoms in the vast majority of the country.”
Kerry further condemned Russia’s “attempted annexation of Crimea,” and said that armed intimidation prevented voters from voting in two regions in eastern Ukraine. Russia took control of Crimea in March.
www.aa.com.tr/en
