Washington: Sitting in the Oval office with Ukraine’s interim Prime Minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, US President Barack Obama has again declared the United States' support for Ukraine, telling reporters, ''We will stand with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in ensuring that territorial integrity and sovereignty is maintained''.

He said the US would ''not recognise any referendum that goes forward'', referring to a Russian-sponsored vote to be held in Crimea on Sunday on the region’s future.

Mr Yatsenyuk, who is in the midst of a string of high-level meetings in the US designed to demonstrate the strength of America’s support for his government, said ''Ukraine is and will be part of the western world'' as well as a good friend of Russia, adding that Ukraine would ''never surrender'' in a fight over its territorial integrity.