MOSCOW, May 19 (RIA Novosti)

The April 2-4 NATO summit in Bucharest faced customary Russian protests against the alliance's eastward expansion, brought to light conflicts between alliance members and postponed discussions on Ukraine and Georgia's membership requests until December.

Although many analysts in Moscow said this was a major Russian diplomatic victory, Kiev and Tbilisi may nevertheless eventually join NATO.
In January 2008, 77% of Georgians voted in favor of joining the alliance. However, most Ukrainians oppose NATO membership. Even without popular support, the Ukranian leadership is still pushing for NATO membership. Anatoly Zlenko who was foreign minister under Presidents Leonid Kravchuk and Leonid Kuchma, explained this by the government's failure to ensure real national security.

Under the 1997 friendship treaty, Russia recognizes Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Russian Ambassador to NATO Dmitry Rogozin expressed surprise over the Ukrainian fears but said Kiev still suspects Moscow of regretting the 1954 decision to transfer the Crimea to Ukraine's jurisdiction.

He said Kiev wanted to join NATO in order to retain its own territorial integrity after the break-up of the U.S.S.R.
Kiev is irritated whenever Russian officials make ill-conceived statements. For instance, the Ukrainian Security Service barred Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov from entering the country after his recent strong calls for the disputed ownership of a Russian naval base on the Crimean peninsula to be transferred back to Russia.
The deployment of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol is another problem. An auxiliary naval base worth 56 billion rubles ($2.3 billion) will be constructed in Novorossiisk by 2017.
Kiev does not want to prolong the Sevastopol lease contract that will expire that same year. This April, Russia was invited to launch talks on fleet-withdrawal procedures and deadlines.
But Moscow remains adamant. "We cannot withdraw the Black Sea Fleet elsewhere. The historic Sevastopol naval base will remain where it is," Rogozin told the paper.
Russia can still pressure Ukraine because no country with foreign military bases on its territory can join NATO.