As workmen painted fresh lines on the road from the airport to the centre of Kiev to welcome President Bush to Ukraine yesterday, diehard opponents of Nato were staging their own reception party.

About 3,000 Communist and Socialist party supporters rallied in Independence Square, the scene of the pro-Western Orange Revolution in the capital, carrying Soviet-era flags and banners that read “Ukraine against Nato” and “Nato is worse than the Gestapo”, while an effigy of Mr Bush was set on fire.

Mr Bush arrives for his first visit to Kiev, before tomorrow’s opening of the Nato summit in Romania, determined to show his support for Ukraine’s ambition to join the alliance despite strong opposition from Russia. However, Nato membership is controversial here, with many in the pro-Russian east of the country opposed to joining what they consider to be an enemy organisation.

“Nato is fascism – look how they bombed Yugoslavia. They are occupying Afghanistan, and America has destroyed Iraq,” Vasily, 70, who served in the Soviet Army for 27 years, said. “We want nothing to do with it; we are for Russia and Russia is for us.”

Mikhail Toporov, 70, said that he supported Nato membership. He told The Times: “During the war I ate American bread and they helped us a lot, but everybody has forgotten that now. Nato is not our enemy.”

President Yushchenko and Yuliya Tymoshenko, the Prime Minister and his ally in the 2004 revolution, regard Nato membership as a key to Ukrainian security and independence. Russia, however, views Nato expansion as a threat and President Putin said recently that Moscow would aim its nuclear missiles at Ukraine if it joined the alliance.

Despite Mr Bush’s support, Nato is split over offering an action plan to Ukraine and Georgia setting out the steps necessary for membership. President Basescu of Romania has urged members to give them “the chance to accomplish their wish”, but invitations must be offered unanimously, and Germany, Spain and Italy are among the opponents.

Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, said: “A country should become a Nato member not only when its temporary political leadership is in favour but when a significant percentage of the population supports membership,” Georgia has offered to send a 500-strong force to join Nato’s operations in Afghanistan, an unnamed source in the Defence Ministry said yesterday. It has contributed no troops to Afghanistan, although 2,000 are serving in Iraq as part of the USled coalition.

Mr Putin will attend the Romania summit and hold further talks with Mr Bush at the Russian resort of Sochi afterwards. Russia is offering increased cooperation with Nato over Afghanistan provided its security interests are taken into account.

Times Recommends

• UN may halt 400-year-old 'freedom of the seas'
• Where the Rosetta belongs can’t be set in stone
• Gas deal on hold, but Ukraine may pay in the end