Cheney applauds Ukraine changes

KRAKOW, Poland — Vice President Dick Cheney voiced his support Wednesday for Ukraine's new president, and his bright orange tie — symbolic of Viktor Yushchenko's "Orange Revolution" — drove home the message.

"The world has been inspired by the remarkable images emanating from Ukraine in recent months," Cheney said at a cultural center in Krakow, Poland, where the two met during a heavy snowstorm. "We have watched as Ukrainians, by the hundreds of thousands, converged on Kiev's Independence Square to preserve their freedom and safeguard their right to determine the destiny of their nation."

He said the Ukrainian people have shown the world the "unstoppable power of the popular will."

Yushchenko, who survived a nearly fatal poisoning to emerge victorious in a bitterly disputed election, faces a delicate juggling act, pushing for democratic reforms and aligning Ukraine with Europe while keeping fruitful relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On Monday, Yushchenko smoothed relations with Putin in Moscow. On Wednesday, he stood side-by-side with Cheney at dual podiums to publicly express mutual support.

Yushchenko mentioned Russia along with the United States, the European Union and Poland as strategic partners, but he and Cheney refrained from saying anything that might have provoked Putin, who will meet with President Bush during his trip to Europe next month.

"We want to pursue the processes of liberalization and democratization in all aspects of life that are so badly needed in Ukraine and other Eastern European nations, shoulder-to-shoulder with our partners," said Yushchenko, his chalky complexion scarred by the near-lethal dose of dioxin he ingested during the campaign.

"After the Orange Revolution, the country and the nation have changed," Yushchenko said. "Not only do we have an independent country, we have a free country — a country capable of pursing new, independent and responsible policy."

Cheney is on a three-day trip to southern Poland to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camps at nearby Auschwitz and Birkenau. The vice president's remarks with Yushchenko and, earlier, at a reception with Holocaust survivors echoed President Bush's inauguration day call to overcome tyranny and foster democratic reform across the world.

"We must face down hatred together," Cheney said. "We are dedicated to the task at hand and we will never forget."