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Ukraine leader makes NATO bid on Independence Day
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-08-24 22:28

KIEV --  Ukraine sees joining the NATO alliance as vital to its security, President Viktor Yushchenko said on Sunday in a speech bound to antagonise Russia.

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Marking 17 years of Ukrainian independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Yushchenko said Ukraine must also increase its own defences.

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.

Yushchenko, who has stepped up his calls for swift NATO membership since Russian forces entered South Ossetia, warned Russia that Ukraine would not tolerate any attempt to divide it.

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