BUCHAREST, Romania — The looming vote on Thursday to enlarge NATO over Russian objections accelerated today into a full-blown showdown between the Bush administration and some of its strongest transatlantic allies, with neither side backing down.
President Bush, just days before his final meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin as head of state, vowed to counteract Russian influence on the expansion eastward of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Mr. Bush will deliver a speech tomorrow morning here in the NATO summit’s host city calling on the 26 member nations to “make clear that NATO welcomes the aspirations of Georgia and Ukraine for membership in NATO and offers them a clear path forward toward that goal.”
And the White House sounded a defiant note in the face of comments from the French Prime Minister that his country would oppose the invitation of Ukraine and Georgia into NATO’s membership process.
Russia, whose huge oil output gives it leverage over European customers, has pressured Berlin and Paris to resist NATO’s continued addition of former Soviet blocs and communist countries.
But Mr. Bush, during a stop in Ukraine to meet with President Victor Yushchenko, said Russia should not be able to stop Ukraine and Georgia from joining the membership action plan (MAP).
“As every nation has told me, Russia will not have a veto over what happens in Bucharest, and I take their word for it. And that’s the right policy to have,” Mr. Bush said, during a press conference in Kiev with Mr. Yushchenko.
“I’m going to work as hard as I can to see to it that Ukraine and Georgia are accepted into MAP,” Mr. Bush said. But French Prime Minister Francois Fillon told a radio interviewer today that “France is not going to give the green light to Ukraine and Georgia.”
“France differs from the United States on this,” he said. “We think it’s not the right response to the balance of power in Europe and the balance between Europe and Russia.”
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has publicly stated her opposition to the Georgia and Ukraine membership bids, while British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has kept quiet during the controversy.
But instead of softening the Bush administration’s stance in view of the latest comments from the French, White House press secretary Dana Perino hardened the U.S. position. “I saw one of the things that the French Foreign Minister said today,” she told reporters on board Air Force One as Mr. Bush headed here from Ukraine. “The last time we checked, Russia didn’t get a vote. And this is a NATO discussion, a NATO exercise, and it will be a NATO decision,” Mrs. Perino said. Mrs. Perino adamantly rejected the notion that the U.S. push for Ukraine and Georgia has been stymied. “I think while some people might want to declare failure before we even get to the summit […] I would caution against anyone thinking that there’s a final outcome before we even touch the ground,” she said. Somewhat less controversial is the vote over whether to officially add three new countries to NATO: Macedonia, Albania and Croatia. All three have already gone through the MAP process for several years, but Macedonia remains mired in a dispute with Greece over its name. However, the issue of Ukraine and Georgia remains a prickly issue for Mr. Putin, who will address the NATO conference on Thursday. Mr. Putin has threatened to point nuclear missiles at the two former Soviet blocs if they join NATO. Despite all the heated rhetoric, Mr. Bush’s only mention of Russia in his speech tomorrow will be to emphasize the alliance between Mr. Putin’s government and the U.S. “The Cold War is over. Russia is not our enemy,” Mr. Bush will say in a speech at the Bucharest National Bank of Savings, according to prepared remarks that were released this afternoon. “We are working toward a new security relationship with Russia whose foundation does not rest on the prospect of mutual annihilation,” Mr. Bush said. After traveling to Croatia Saturday to hopefully celebrate their entrance into NATO, Mr. Bush will fly to Russia and on Sunday meet with Mr. Putin. It is not known yet whether Mr. Putin’s hand-picked successor, President-elect Dmitry Medvedev, will also attend the summit. The Bush administration has also been optimistic about the potential for an agreement this weekend with the Russians on a missile defense system for Eastern Europe. Mr. Bush said today that he is looking forward to meeting with Mr. Putin. “We’ve had a very interesting relationship. I like him,” Mr. Bush said. “He’s a person that has been a strong leader for Russia.” Mr. Putin will hand over control to Mr. Medvedev on May 7, but is expected to remain a powerful figure inside the Russian government as prime minister. Washington Times staff writer David Sands contributed to this report.
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