Biden says U.S. supports Ukraine choosing own alliances

KIEV (Reuters) - The United States "strongly supports" Ukraine having the freedom to choose alliances, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden told Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko on Tuesday.

"We do not recognise ... anyone else's right to dictate to you or any other country what alliance you will seek to belong to or what bilateral relationships you have," he said at a joint news conference.

Biden made his comments during a visit to the ex-Soviet republic seen as a move to balance Washington's new overtures to Ukraine's big neighbour, Russia.

Yushchenko, who came to power after a pro-Western revolution in 2004, has sought to drive his country towards integration in the European mainstream, including membership of NATO, an aspiration which has particularly annoyed Russia.

Yushchenko said U.S.-Ukrainian relations had to be developed in a "constructive way."

"We don't want to see them (made) at the expense of Ukraine or at the expense of the creation of any zones of special interests," Yushchenko said.

Biden added that resetting relations with Russia "will not come at Ukraine's expense, to the contrary, I believe it can actually benefit Ukraine."

Yushchenko also said Ukraine would like the United States help finance the modernisation of its gas transit network, which he called "an integral part of the European gas market."

(Reporting by Sabina Zawadzki; Writing by Amie Ferris-Rotman; Editing by Richard Balmforth)