KIEV, April 12 – Ukraine and Georgia reacted strongly over the weekend to Russian threats of possible military action aimed at preventing the two former Soviet republics from joining NATO.

The war of words which began earlier last week with a statement by Russia’s Foreign Minister was escalated by a Friday statement by the chief of Russia’s General Staff, army Gen. Yury Baluyevsky, in which the general pledged a wide range of actions in retaliation for possible moves by the two countries to join the Western military alliance.

In case of a possible joining of NATO by Ukraine and Georgia, “Russia will take action for protecting its interests close to its borders. These will be both military and other measures,” he said.

Ukraine’s foreign ministry demanded Saturday that the Russians “stop the practice of threats” against Kiev.

“Statements by high-ranking Russian officials are… anti-Ukrainian… and are direct interference in Ukraine’s internal affairs,” said a Ukrainian Foreign Ministry statement carried by international wire services.

The reaction from Georgia was, if anything, even more pronounced.

Maka Gigauri, a spokeswoman for Georgia’s Foreign Ministry, referred to the statements by the Russian general, as “a demonstration of open aggression against Georgia.”

“This is why we, Ukraine and Georgia, want to become NATO members,” she was quoted by news services as saying. “Such attempts by Russia to prevent Georgia and Ukraine from becoming NATO members will prompt an appropriate reaction from the leaders of NATO member states.”

At a summit in Bucharest this month, NATO members balked at requests from Ukraine and Georgia to be granted a Membership Action Plan, which would have set them on the path to membership.

But, under US pressure, the NATO leaders agreed to reconsider the issue in December and gave a commitment that the two countries would be allowed to join eventually.

Asked to respond to the Russian general’s comments, a NATO spokeswoman in Brussels said that any European democracy could apply to join the alliance. “This is nothing new and no third country has a right to veto,” she said. “Membership of these two countries is not a matter of if but when.”

Russian news agencies quoted Baluyevsky as saying that it was premature to talk about Ukraine and Georgia joining NATO, which the Russians view as a threat, any time soon. “This is not the end of the day,” he said. “We will live and see.” (up/ez)