Washington, May 26 (IANS) The US looks forward to working with the next president and the new parliament of Ukraine to support the country’s efforts to enact important reforms, US President Barack Obama said Sunday.

“This election is another important step forward in the efforts of the Ukrainian government to unify the country and reach out to all of its citizens to ensure their concerns are addressed and aspirations met,” Xinhua quoted Obama as saying in a statement.

Ukrainian voters went to the polls Sunday to elect a new president for the next five years in an early election called three months after the ouster of former president Viktor Yanukovych.

The US remains committed to working with Ukraine and other partners to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict, said Obama, who arrived at the Bagram air base in north of Kabul, the main US base in Afghanistan, for an unannounced visit to US troops Sunday.

The president also congratulated the people of Ukraine on making their voices heard by voting in the election and praised “courageous” Ukrainians who were able to cast their ballots in parts of eastern Ukraine “where Russian-backed separatist groups sought to disenfranchise entire regions”.

“We commend the resolve of all those who participated, as well as the efforts of the Ukrainian government to conduct these elections in the face of those threats,” Obama said.

Exit polls showed that Petro Poroshenko, a wealthy businessman and independent politician, has won Ukraine’s presidential election with an absolute majority.