Trump pledges help to restore Ukraine peace

US President Donald Trump told Ukraine's leader on Saturday that he would work with Kiev and Moscow to try to end the bloodshed in the European Union's backyard.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's first conversation with the new US leader came during a sharp escalation in violence in the Russian-backed separatist east that has claimed 35 lives in the past week.

It also took place as the former Soviet republic worries that Trump is seeking to build a friendship with Russia's Vladimir Putin. Some analysts linked the escalation of the violence to this potential thaw in relations while others attributed it to more local issues.