The U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted Tuesday to back NATO's further enlargement and the eventual admission of Georgia and Ukraine, along with three other former Communist-bloc states, continuing a drive that has unnerved Moscow.
Whereas the Georgian government has pushed to join the Cold War-era organization, Ukraine has been divided on the issue, reflecting major policy differences between the Western-leaning president and the more pro-Russian prime minister.
"I am positive Ukraine's Security Service and Foreign Ministry, if they are really to ensure the country's sovereignty and independence, must declare those behind the decision personas non grata," said Oleksandr Holub, a member of the Communist faction that is part of the ruling coalition led by the premier.
Holub also urged that a referendum be held on NATO membership to dissuade "U.S. agents of influence in Ukraine" from fulfilling Washington's instructions in the future.
The deal Ukraine's main factions signed in August to end a protracted political crisis approves cooperation with NATO, but requires a plebiscite to decide on membership in the bloc.
Opinion polls in Russia's neighbor have shown that over 50% of the country's population is opposed to the idea. The arrival of NATO troops for joint exercises in Ukraine's Crimean autonomy last June sparked a wave of protests.
President Viktor Yushchenko has set membership in NATO and the European Union as his key foreign policy objectives since coming to power on the back of a popular uprising in 2005.
His drive has encountered opposition from Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, whose supporters dominate the parliament and the Cabinet, and who have succeeded in curtailing many presidential powers recently.
Washington also voted Tuesday to support the NATO bids of Albania, Croatia and Macedonia, and to allocate funds for necessary military reforms in the countries.
