DHAKA: US president Barack Obama is to discuss economic support for Ukraine when he meets president-elect Petro Poroshenko in Warsaw.

Obama has said he will offer US support as Kiev tries to settle a gas bill with Russian supplier Gazprom or risk a cut in supply, reports the BBC.

Ukraine’s struggling economy has been in recession since the middle of 2012.

Obama is in Poland for celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of the end of communism there.

But his visit has taken on extra significance following Russia’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula in March.

The move has left East-West relations at their lowest ebb since the Cold War.

Obama is seeking to reassure former Soviet states that Washington will support them in the event of any Russian ‘provocation’.

On Tuesday he pledged $1bn to boost military deployments to Europe in response to Russian actions in Ukraine.

BDST: 1254 HRS, JUNE 04, 2014