Ukraine leader makes NATO bid on Independence Day

Reuters By Sabina Zawadzki KIEV, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said on Sunday joining the NATO alliance was vital to securing the country's defence. Marking 17 years of Ukrainian independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Yushchenko said Ukraine must also increase its own defences -- a clear swipe at Russia which unnerved former Soviet republics when it sent troops into Georgia over the breakaway region of South Ossetia. In a congratulatory message to mark the day, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called on Ukraine not to spoil their historically close ties. Yushchenko's speech to a crowd of thousands in Kiev's Independence Square, site of 2004 street protests that swept him to power, was followed by the first display in years of Ukraine's military hardware. Tanks, armoured personnel carriers and missile launchers rolled down the capital's central streets. Military jets flew in formation overhead and the capital shook to the boom of cannon. "We must speed up our work to achieve membership of the European system of security and raise the defence capabilities of the country," Yushchenko said. "Only these steps will guarantee our security and the integrity of our borders," he told the crowd, many dressed in traditional Cossack shirts. Former imperial master Russia is angry over Ukraine's, as well as Georgia's, NATO ambitions, seeing the encroachment of the alliance on its borders as a military threat. "PRECIOUS ASSET" Medvedev reminded Ukraine of the strong links between the two countries which reach back a thousand years. "Our countries are linked by years of spiritual, cultural and historical ties. I believe the main task now is not to allow this precious asset, which we inherited from past generations, to be wasted," he said in a statement. "We need to preserve it and build it up." In April NATO states refused to give Ukraine and Georgia a Membership Action Plan -- the first step towards membership -- but said the two countries would one day join the alliance. NATO countries will revisit the issue in December. Analysts say that Georgia's attempt to retake South Ossetia by force, which prompted Russia's incursion into Georgia, might have harmed Tbilisi's chances of joining the alliance soon. Ukraine backed Georgia in the conflict and was angered when Russia used ships moored in Ukraine Black Sea to land troops in Georgia. Kiev leases the port of Sevastopol to Moscow. Yushchenko tightened the rules of movement for the fleet, stationed in the pro-Russian Crimean region, and for several days there were concerns that there would be a standoff between the two countries as the ships came back.