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.