Yushchenko: NATO Means Ukraine's Independence

"Since 1917, Ukraine has declared its independence six times, and five times it lost it," said Ukrainian President Vicktor Yushchenko in an event held at the Council on Foreign Relations. "That's why NATO membership and Ukrainian independence are synonymous."

Yushchenko gave a brief overview of Ukraine's post independence economic growth and democratic advances, but focused mostly on the country's relations with Russia and the West.

On relations with Russia, Yushchenko said bluntly, "They’re not the best." Of the many points of contention, he singled out the unsettled land border with Russia. "We have had 27 rounds of negotiations on that. We believe that both sides, from a technical standpoint, are ready to sign an agreement... Unfortunately it's not being done and it’s not our fault."

He also reiterated Ukraine's position that Russia's Black Sea Fleet clear out of Sevastapool in 2017, as agreed upon by the two countries in 1997. The Ukrainian constitution prohibits the stationing of foreign military bases on Ukrainian soil, he said, a ban that applies to possible NATO forces as well. "Our territory will not be used to threaten another country's territory."

(AP Photos)