On the eve of a key NATO's summit on its expansion, US President George W. Bush started his visit to Ukraine on Monday, in an attempt to push NATO to grant the ex-soviet country potential membership.

Analysts said, however, Washington's effort to squeeze Ukraine into NATO may prove futile, taking into account the differences within Ukraine over its NATO membership, conflict between Russian and the United States, and between the so-called "old" and "new" Europe.

Dispute in Ukraine

Foreign Minister Vladimir Ogryzko said Monday that Bush's visit will highlight the strategic partnership between the two countries and give a big boost to Ukraine's bid for NATO membership.

The NATO summit, scheduled for April 2-4 in Bucharest, Romania, is expected to grant Ukraine and Georgia the status of Membership Action Plan (MAP), generally believed the first step towards joining the world's biggest military bloc.

Some NATO members, including the United States, Canada and some east European countries have voiced support for granting MAP to the Russia's neighbors. But Ukraine's entry into NATO has been complicated by internal differences on the issue.

Earlier this year, in a request to NATO, Ukrainian leaders asked for a MAP invitation at the Bucharest summit. The request, however, led to weeks-long protests in the parliament by opposition lawmakers.

On Monday, about 5,000 people staged a massive demonstration in the capital of Kiev in protest of Bush's visit and the request for NATO membership. They threatened to protest permanently should the Bucharest summit agrees to accept Ukraine's request.

According to recent opinion polls, more than 50 percent of Ukrainians, mostly living in the Russian-speaking east and south, strongly opposed the country's drive to join NATO.

Russian-US row

Ukraine's bid to join the US-led military bloc has been backed strongly by the Bush administration, who has recently speeded up diplomatic efforts to put the ex-Soviet republic, together with Georgia, on the NATO track.

In an interview with the German daily newspaper Die Welt published on Monday, Bush reiterated his support for the NATO eastward expansion to the door of Russia. "I think it's in our interest to give Georgia and Ukraine a clear prospect here," he said.