U.S. President pledges to support Ukraine's NATO bid

KIEV, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Visiting U.S. President George W. Bush vowed Tuesday to support Ukraine's bid to join NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP) at the alliance's April 2-4 summit in Bucharest, Romania.

"Ukraine seeks to deepen its cooperation with the NATO alliance through a membership action plan. Ukraine has made a bold decision and the United State strongly supports your request," Bush told a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko.

"In Bucharest this week, we will continue to make America's position clear: we support MAP for Ukraine and Georgia," Bush said.

He said Russia would not have a veto on what happens in Bucharest.

Yushchenko said Ukraine's bid to join MAP and NATO answers for the country's national interests and Kiev has received "full support" from Washington.

"This is not a policy against someone. We just care about our national interests", he stressed.

Ukraine and Georgia are seeking to join MAP at the Bucharest summit. However, Russia fiercely opposes the military alliance's further eastward expansion and warns it is a threat to Europe's security.

Some western European countries, such as Germany, France and Italy, are reluctant to grant MAP invitations to the two ex-Soviet republics at the summit for fear that would anger Russia.

KIEV, March 31 (Xinhua) - On the eve of a key NATO's summit on its expansion, U.S. President George W. Bush started his visit to Ukraine on Monday, in an attempt to push NATO to grant the ex-soviet country potential membership.

Analysts said, however, Washington's effort to squeeze Ukraine into NATO may prove futile, taking into account the differences within Ukraine over its NATO membership, conflict between Russian and the United States, and between the so-called "old" and "new" Europe. Full story

KIEV, March 31 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President George W. Bush landed in the Ukrainian capital Kiev late on Monday, kicking off his two-day state visit to Ukraine.

Bush is expected to hold talks with Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko on bilateral relations and Ukraine's bid to join the NATO Membership Action Plan. Full story

KIEV, March 31 (Xinhua) -- About 5,000 Ukrainians gathered in Kiev on Monday to protest against the U.S. President George W. Bush's visit, and the Ukraine's bid for NATO membership.

Activists on Kiev's Independence Square are showing the slogans saying "Bush out of Ukraine," and "Yankee go home."