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| Europe |
| U.S. risks Russia row with Ukraine NATO backing |
| 2008-09-05 |
| Non CNN headline: US supports Ukraine's western democratic membership, tells Putin to go pound sand. The United States has backed Ukraine's bid for NATO membership a day after similarly supporting Georgia, in a move which may further stoke tensions with Russia. 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. The vice-president commended Yushchenko's trip to Georgia soon after the conflict broke out in early August and delivered a message to Ukraine from President Bush. "The United States has a deep and abiding interest in your well-being and your security," Cheney said. "Ukrainians have a right to choose whether they wish to join NATO. And NATO has a right to invite Ukraine to join the alliance when we believe that you are ready and that the time is right. No outside country gets a veto." |
| Posted by:ed |
| #1 Appears Cheney just gave old Puttie a bit of wedjie. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2008-09-05 09:45 |