President confident of receiving weapons aid

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said late on Tuesday he is confident the United States will send weapons to his country to help it fight rebels, a step the US could be considering.

Government forces have been fighting separatists in eastern Ukraine for 10 months in a conflict that has left 5,300 people dead.

US President Barack Obama has opposed sending weapons to Ukraine's government, but a senior administration official told The Associated Press earlier this week the surge in fighting has spurred the White House to review the policy.