• Most Popular
  • Most Shared

Rice says NATO must leave door open to Ukraine

DAVOS, Switzerland
Wed Jan 23, 2008 1:01pm EST

DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Wednesday indicated Washington's support for Ukraine's bid to join NATO, said a U.S. official, in a move likely to anger Russia.

Barack Obama

Ukraine's Western-leaning leadership this month wrote to NATO asking it to accept the country into the Membership Action Plan, a step toward accession.

In a meeting with Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Rice discussed internal developments in Ukraine as well as their bid to join the military alliance, said the official traveling with Rice.

"The secretary reiterated the U.S. view that NATO should leave the door open to those European, democratic states who meet membership requirements," said the official after Rice's meeting with Yushchenko.

Russia views with deep misgivings NATO's military expansion towards Russia's borders and said this week that former Soviet republic Ukraine's membership bid would have serious implications for relations between neighbors.

In hard-hitting comments on Wednesday, Russian's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said there was no security justification for enlargement of NATO, and that the expansion plan was a throwback to the Cold War.

The U.S. official said Rice also talked about Ukraine's negotiations for entry into the World Trade Organization.

Ukraine has relied on Washington for support in its entry bid into the WTO. Their accession bid is expected to be endorsed next month unless there are any last minute technical objections to it.

(Reporting by Sue Pleming; Editing by Ralph Boulton)



More from Reuters

Rajaratnam pleads innocent in Galleon case

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Galleon hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam and co-defendant Danielle Chiesi pleaded innocent on Monday to charges of securities fraud in what U.S. prosecutors describe as the biggest hedge fund insider trading case ever.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) (R) wipes his eyes as he and Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) (L) address senate health care legislation at the US Capitol in Washington December 19, 2009. Credit: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Health bill passes crucial test

A sweeping U.S. healthcare reform bill appears headed for passage in the Senate after surviving a middle-of-the-night test vote.  Full Article | Video 

Two men shake hands in a file photo.    REUTERS/File

Let's make a deal

The battered M&A sector will make a tepid recovery in the coming year and three hot sectors will lead the way, according to a Thomson Reuters analysis.  Full Article