Bush backs Ukraine's Nato bid

2008-04-01 19:12

Kiev, Ukraine - US President George W Bush vowed full support on Tuesday for Ukraine's and Georgia's bids to join Nato, despite vehement Russian opposition and French and German objections to allowing the former Soviet states to begin the admission process.

Bush's strong stance set up a showdown in the trans-Atlantic military alliance, whose leaders would decide this week whether to give Ukraine and Georgia so-called "membership action plans" (MAP).

It could also complicate US-Russia ties which were already strained by Moscow's resistance to Washington's plans to set up missile defences in Europe.

But Bush said Russia would not have a veto on what other countries do.

Bush gives total support

He rejected any trade-off between missile defence and Nato membership, and pledged to work "as hard as I can" to open Nato's doors to Ukraine and Georgia, saying both were ready and worthy to be welcomed.

"Your nation has made a bold decision and the United States strongly supports your request," he told Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko in Kiev, two days before the Nato summit in Bucharest, Romania.

"In Bucharest this week, I will continue to make America's position clear: We support MAP for Ukraine and Georgia," he said after talks with Yushchenko.

"My stop here should be a clear signal to everybody that I mean what I say: It's in our interest for Ukraine to join."

A MAP outlines what a country needs to do to win an invitation for full Nato membership.

Russian opposition

Russia is opposed to Ukraine and Georgia even starting the process, fearing a further loss of influence in two more of its Soviet-era Warsaw Pact neighbours.

Nine former Soviet bloc countries are already Nato members, and a senior Russian diplomat warned on Tuesday that Ukraine's accession to Nato would cause a "deep crisis" in relations with Moscow.

French and German dissent

Meanwhile, France and Germany said Ukraine and Georgia were not ready to begin the process. They feared upsetting Russia, which was a major supplier of energy to Europe.

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said on Tuesday that his country would not support the membership action plans because it would upset the power balance.

"France will not give its green light to the entry of Ukraine and Georgia," he told France-Inter radio.

"We think that it is not the correct response to the balance of power in Europe, and between Europe and Russia."

Nato requires consensus

Nato operated by consensus, meaning that all decisions had to be unanimous among its 26 members. Fillon's comments appeared to quash Ukrainian and Georgian hopes.

But Bush said he had been assured by all his Nato counterparts that "Russia will not have a veto over what happens in Bucharest. I take their word for it."

- AP