Obama congratulates Ukraine’s president-elect in phone call

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama plans to meet next week with the candy tycoon elected over the weekend as Ukraine’s new president.

The White House said Obama congratulated President-elect Petro Poroshenko in a phone call Tuesday. A statement also said Obama offered the United States’ full support to unify Ukraine after weeks of fighting with pro-Russian separatists in the eastern part of the country.

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The White House says Obama will meet with Poroshenko while in Europe June 3-6. Obama’s aides would not say when or where the meeting would take place.

The statement said Obama stressed to Poroshenko the importance of quickly bringing reform to unite the country, bring transparency and accountability to the government and strengthen its economy.