Angry Protests Greet Bush in Ukraine
Source: Alalam TV, 01-04-2008
KIEV, Ukraine--US President George W. Bush was in Ukraine Tuesday at the start of a week long trip to Eastern Europe, anchored by a NATO summit in Bucharest, Romania.
Bush was scheduled to meet with the country's leaders and opposition leader on Tuesday and affirm his support for the NATO membership goals of ex-Soviet Ukraine.
This week's NATO summit is turning into a critical test for the alliance, which is split on the issue of Ukraine and Georgia.
Ukraine wants to be put on the path towards eventual membership and hopes NATO will provide a membership action plan that outlines what it needs to do to join.
Georgia also wants a membership action plan, which is a precursor to the granting of full membership.
Analysts predicted however that neither country would be allowed to start the formal accession procedure at the April 2-4 meeting of alliance leaders in Romania.
Ahead of Bush's arrival, protesters demonstrated against accession both on Ukraine's politically sensitive Crimea peninsula on Saturday and in Kiev on Monday.
The protests underlined significant opposition to membership in Ukraine and by its giant neighbor Russia, whose president Vladimir Putin has been invited to the Bucharest meeting.
In Kiev, several thousand protesters on Monday set up tents and hurled abuse at Bush and NATO.
"NATO is war, death and tears," read one banner, while another suggested Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko leave the country.
The United States, Canada and Eastern European members back the two ex-Soviet republics.
Germany is leading Western European opposition and warns that granting the membership plan would torpedo hopes of improving relations with Russia.
Moscow fiercely opposes NATO's further eastward expansion and has been lobbying NATO members.
At the NATO summit, Bush wants to bolster the multi-national fight in Afghanistan by reminding NATO allies that the war is in their interest, and by persuading them to send more troops into battle.
The Western military alliance has been strained by the refusal of Germany and other allies to send more combat troops to Afghanistan.
This has prompted accusations from Washington that they are shirking their duty.
Bush is also trying to achieve a breakthrough on a US-based missile defense system in Europe.
His national security adviser told reporters aboard Air Force One that Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin could nail down a deal when they meet on Sunday.
Moscow-based defense analyst Pavel Felgenhauer said Bush was seeking a softening of Russian opposition to US plans to set up missile defense sites in the Czech Republic and Poland, as well as Russian agreement to allow NATO supplies to transit through Russia to Afghanistan.
Putin is leaving office in May, while Bush's term ends next January.
Bush's trip is being seen as a last bid by Bush to score some successes in foreign policy, when his legacy abroad has been tarnished by the ongoing fallout of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Felgenhauer said Bush wants to prove the success of his Republican party's policy on Russia and thus support the Republican candidate John McCain in the US election period.
"It's a grand deal that involves a lot of things outside -- not only Ukraine and Georgia."
KIEV, Ukraine--US President George W. Bush was in Ukraine Tuesday at the start of a week long trip to Eastern Europe, anchored by a NATO summit in Bucharest, Romania.
Bush was scheduled to meet with the country's leaders and opposition leader on Tuesday and affirm his support for the NATO membership goals of ex-Soviet Ukraine.
This week's NATO summit is turning into a critical test for the alliance, which is split on the issue of Ukraine and Georgia.
Ukraine wants to be put on the path towards eventual membership and hopes NATO will provide a membership action plan that outlines what it needs to do to join.
Georgia also wants a membership action plan, which is a precursor to the granting of full membership.
Analysts predicted however that neither country would be allowed to start the formal accession procedure at the April 2-4 meeting of alliance leaders in Romania.
Ahead of Bush's arrival, protesters demonstrated against accession both on Ukraine's politically sensitive Crimea peninsula on Saturday and in Kiev on Monday.
The protests underlined significant opposition to membership in Ukraine and by its giant neighbor Russia, whose president Vladimir Putin has been invited to the Bucharest meeting.
In Kiev, several thousand protesters on Monday set up tents and hurled abuse at Bush and NATO.
"NATO is war, death and tears," read one banner, while another suggested Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko leave the country.
The United States, Canada and Eastern European members back the two ex-Soviet republics.
Germany is leading Western European opposition and warns that granting the membership plan would torpedo hopes of improving relations with Russia.
Moscow fiercely opposes NATO's further eastward expansion and has been lobbying NATO members.
At the NATO summit, Bush wants to bolster the multi-national fight in Afghanistan by reminding NATO allies that the war is in their interest, and by persuading them to send more troops into battle.
The Western military alliance has been strained by the refusal of Germany and other allies to send more combat troops to Afghanistan.
This has prompted accusations from Washington that they are shirking their duty.
Bush is also trying to achieve a breakthrough on a US-based missile defense system in Europe.
His national security adviser told reporters aboard Air Force One that Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin could nail down a deal when they meet on Sunday.
Moscow-based defense analyst Pavel Felgenhauer said Bush was seeking a softening of Russian opposition to US plans to set up missile defense sites in the Czech Republic and Poland, as well as Russian agreement to allow NATO supplies to transit through Russia to Afghanistan.
Putin is leaving office in May, while Bush's term ends next January.
Bush's trip is being seen as a last bid by Bush to score some successes in foreign policy, when his legacy abroad has been tarnished by the ongoing fallout of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Felgenhauer said Bush wants to prove the success of his Republican party's policy on Russia and thus support the Republican candidate John McCain in the US election period.
"It's a grand deal that involves a lot of things outside -- not only Ukraine and Georgia."
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