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U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney met with Ukraine's pro-Western president Victor Yushchenko in the capital of Kiev on Friday, the third stop of a tour that has already taken him to two other former Soviet republics -- Georgia and Azerbaijan.

The meeting came on the same day as the United States' top warship arrived in the Georgian port of Poti to deliver humanitarian supplies, fueling Russia's fears that its superpower rival is making its presence felt in the Baltic region.

Russia said the vessel's technical characteristics raised questions about whether it should be allowed into the area, Russian news agency Interfax reported.

Russia is unhappy that its former states are seeking to join the 26-nation NATO defense alliance, and last month's conflict with Georgia over two disputed territories was seen by many as an attempt to assert its power.

Cheney repeated the statement he made a day earlier that Russia's military actions in Georgia last month cast "grave doubts" on Moscow's intentions and reliability as an international partner.