BUCHAREST - Bush's last NATO summit

Despite resistance from Russia and skepticism from NATO's European members, President Bush vowed on Tuesday to press for Ukraine and Georgia to be allowed to start the process of joining NATO.

Speaking in Kiev on his way to his last NATO summit as president, Mr. Bush said Moscow had no right to veto bids by the two former Soviet republics to join the 26-nation Western defense alliance.

SOUNDBITE: U.S. President George W. Bush saying (English):

"Helping Ukraine move towards NATO membership is in the interest of every member in the alliance and will help advance security and freedom in this region and around the world."

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But France and Germany oppose giving Kiev and Tbilisi a roadmap to joining NATO -- arguing that the two countries do no meet NATO's criteria and that permitting them to join the alliance would upset the balance of power with Russia.

The Heritage Foundation's Nile Gardiner.

SOUNDBITE: Nile Gardiner, senior research fellow, the Heritage Foundation, saying (English):

"This is pure appeasement of Moscow by Berlin and Paris here and this sends all the wrong signals to the Russians who are of course trying to intimidate Georgia and Ukraine. They are independent nation-states-- they are pro-western allies here. They're being intimated by the Russian bear and this is certainly the wrong message to be sending to Moscow at this time."
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On other summit issues, France said it may send a few hundred extra troops to Afghanistan to help NATO's biggest military mission -- stabilizing the country and defeating Taliban insurgents.

SOUNDBITE: Nile Gardiner, senior research fellow, the Heritage Foundation, saying (English):

"I think it is window dressing on a very grand scale here. Afterall, Britain has 8,000 troops in Afghanistan at this time. They're all fighting on the front line of Southern Afghanistan. The French have around 1,500 at the moment. They're not doing any fighting at all. And they're only proposing to boost that number to 2,500..essentially increasing the size of France's peacekeeping operation in the country. That simply doesn't help the war effort."

Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, is scheduled to attend the NATO talks in Bucharest, Romania Friday for the last time before he steps down as Russian president.

Relations are strained with the U.S. over plans for the enlargement of NATO and a U.S. proposal to locate anti-missile defenses in Poland and the Czech Republic. Following the NATO Summit, Presidents Putin and Bush will meet in Russia with both of these contentious issues on the agenda.

Jon Decker, Reuters.

vowed v. vowed, vow·ing, vows v.tr.

1. To promise solemnly; pledge. See Synonyms at promise.

2. To make a pledge or threat to undertake: vowing revenge on their persecutors.

appeasement - The policy of granting concessions to potential enemies to maintain peace.
strained adj.

1. Having been passed through a strainer: a bowl of strained peaches.

2. Done with or marked by excessive effort; forced: strained humor.

3. Extended beyond proper limits: a strained meaning.

4. Antagonized to the verge of open conflict: strained relations.

5. Twisted; wrenched: a strained ankle.