Bush unveils vision for Europe

WARSAW, Poland -- U.S. President George W. Bush has unveiled his vision for a larger, more prosperous Europe during a major speech in Warsaw.

In a major policy address -- the centerpiece of his five-nation European trip -- at Warsaw University on Friday, Bush urged Europeans to work for a continent "whole and free."

He also called for European unity and an extension of NATO into eastern Europe.

"I believe in NATO membership for all of Europe's democracies that seek it and are ready to share the responsibilities that NATO brings."

European integration should include Russia, Ukraine, Poland and the Balkans, he said.

Much of Bush's speech was directed at Russia.

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"We have a stake in Russia's success, and we look for the day when Russia is fully reformed," he said.

The United States and Europe "can and should build partnerships with Russia and with all the countries that have emerged from the wreckage of the former Soviet Union."

Bush said he is "looking forward" to meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, where he will tell him Russia is a part of Europe.

The president received a round of applause when he said: "Russia is a part of Europe. NATO, even as it grows, is no enemy of Russia. Poland is no enemy of Russia. America is no enemy of Russia."

CNN's Christiane Amanpour said European leaders might raise their eyebrows over Bush's suggestion of Ukraine becoming a NATO member, believing Ukraine needs to progress more in the direction of democracy.

Bush reiterated the strong, close ties between Europe and the United States, saying "Europe and America will never be separated."

"When Europe and America are divided, history tends to tragedy," he said. "When Europe and America are partners, no trouble or tyranny can stand against us."

Bush cited the decade of transition to democracies throughout the formerly communist Eastern and Central Europe, and said he would make the case with Putin on Saturday it is time to move past Cold War doctrine to reach for the fruits of democracy. "The Iron Curtain is no more," Bush said. "Now we plan and build the house of freedom, whose doors are open to all of Europe's peoples and whose windows look out to global challenges beyond."

"Next year, NATO's leaders will meet in Prague. The United States will be prepared to make concrete historic decisions with its allies to advance NATO enlargement," he said.

Bush also praised Europe's role in backing the stabilization of the Balkans, and reitereated the United State's commitment to securing peace in the area: "We went into the Balkans together. We will come out of the Balkans together."

He urged Europe to work with the United States to reach out to Africa, shutting down arms trafficking that "fuels Africa's wars" and fighting AIDS on the continent. "The question no longer is what others can do for Poland, but what America and Poland and all of Europe can do for the rest of the world."

Bush's speech followed his meeting earlier in the day with Polish President Aleksander Kwasiniewski.

On Saturday, Bush ends his Europe trip in Slovenia, where he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.

But U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice sought to play down expectations for major policy breakthroughs at Saturday's meeting.

"I don't think that anyone should expect there to be specific proposals on the table," she said. "This is an opportunity for the two presidents to get to know each other."