Ukraine president faces tough realities at home

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s president-elect will likely have little trouble wooing Western leaders, including President Barack Obama, when he travels to Poland and France this week — many have already hailed the rise of the pragmatic, Western-leaning leader.

For Petro Poroshenko, who takes office on Saturday, the real task will be grappling with a pro-Russia uprising sweeping Ukraine’s east, and a political system dominated by grudging political allies and holdovers from the previous corrupt administration.