The Obama Administration "resolutely" supports Ukraine and Georgia's rights to seek NATO membership", ITAR-TASS quoted assistant U.S. Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia Philip Gordon as saying. He said during hearings at the House of Representatives that to get admitted to the NATO, Georgia and Ukraine need to implement deep reforms to meet organization's standards. Washington is working with Tbilisi and Kiev "to help them to make such efforts", he said.
He said the U.S. wants Ukraine to be "prosperous, democratic and independent" and strongly supports territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia." The U.S. will maintain solidarity with world community by declining to recognize Georgia's breakaway regions such as Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
He said U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Grigol Vashadze will hold the first meeting of the Council of Strategic Partnership next Monday. It is being founded in accordance with the provisions of the Strategic Partnership Charter signed in January, Gordon said. The meeting will be held in Washington.