Obama congratulates Yanukovich on win

KIEV, Ukraine, Feb. 12 (UPI) -- U.S. President Obama congratulated Viktor Yanukovich on winning Ukraine's presidential election, officials say.

Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has yet to concede and her aides continue to charge election fraud, The New York Times reported from Moscow.

The White House released a statement saying Obama had called Yanukovich, the Ukrainian opposition leader, and wished him "success in carrying out his mandate."

"This peaceful expression of the political will of Ukrainian voters is another positive step in strengthening democracy in Ukraine," the statement said.

Obama's endorsement seemed to be a blow to any plans to contest the election, The Times said.

Earlier in the day, Tymoshenko held an official meeting of her government in which she did not mention her campaign.

Yanukovich appealed to Tymoshenko to bow out earlier this week. He said she was causing more instability in a country that had plenty of it in recent years. He also urged her to step down as prime minister or say whether she would try to stay on as prime minister.