Then NATO comes to them

A delegation of the North Atlantic Alliance, chaired by its Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, arrives on a visit to Ukraine on Monday. The visit will take place at the invitation of Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko. It is expected that during the meetings and negotiations in Kyiv, an assessment will be made of Ukraine's implementation of the target action plan with NATO for 2008 in the context of its application to join the alliance. The Ukrainian leadership will report today on the progress of reforms in the country and changes in the army.
Before arriving in Kyiv, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer assured that NATO does not intend to place its bases in Ukraine, including in Sevastopol, after the departure of the Russian fleet in 2017. He also stressed that NATO will remain outside of any bilateral discussions between Ukraine and Russia regarding the future of the Black Sea Fleet. According to him, the alliance “will not be drawn into territorial or any other disputes that Ukraine may have with Russia.”
Meanwhile, the Russian side warned over the weekend that Ukraine’s accession to the North Atlantic Alliance could lead to the introduction of a visa regime for citizens of both countries.