US President George W. Bush said on Tuesday he was “absolutely solid” in his support for Ukraine and Georgia's bid to join the NATO military alliance and told Russia it had no right to veto the move. But in a sign of likely discord ahead of this week's NATO summit in Bucharest, France came out against the two countries' entry bid, with Prime Minister Francois Fillon saying it could upset the European balance of power. Speaking in Kiev, Bush said Washington wanted to see Ukraine and Georgia, both former Soviet republics, given a Membership Action Plan (MAP) - a formal step to joining NATO. “I strongly believe that Ukraine and Georgia should be given MAP and there's no trade-offs, period,” said Bush, with Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko at his side. “Helping Ukraine move towards NATO membership is in the interests of every member of the alliance. Ukraine has demonstrated commitment to democracy and open markets. “My position is absolutely solid. Ukraine and Georgia should be given MAP,” Bush told journalists. His comments were likely to stoke tension with Russia, which has threatened to target nuclear missiles at Ukraine if the country were to host NATO bases or elements of a US missile defense shield. And NATO members France and Germany have both now said they will oppose formal approval of Ukraine and Georgia's membership bids at the Bucharest summit, which starts Wednesday. __
