President Bush says he hopes the Ukrainian election dispute is resolved in a way that, in his words, brings credit to the Ukrainian government.
Mr. Bush spoke to reporters near his ranch in the southern US state of Texas Friday. He said the international community is closely watching developments and that vote fraud must be investigated.
Meanwhile, French President Jacques Chirac said European Union experts confirmed fraud during Sunday's presidential vote. He warned of the dangers of such actions and expressed hope for a political solution.
Earlier, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized what he called attempts by Western countries to influence the outcome of the vote. Mr. Lavrov told reporters in Moscow Ukrainians alone should decide their country's future.
The prime ministers of 17 central and southeast European countries meeting in Slovenia urged Ukraine to investigate the irregularities and they urged both sides to show restraint.