KIEV, Aug. 27 – British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, in Ukraine seeking to forge “the widest possible coalition” against Russia’s aggression in Georgia, said the European Union and NATO should have a “hard-headed engagement” response.

"That means bolstering our allies, rebalancing the energy relationship with Russia, defending the rules of international institutions, and renewing efforts to tackle 'unresolved conflicts,’” Miliband told a group of students in Kiev.

Miliband has been visiting Kiev amid growing fears in Europe that Russia’s emerging assertiveness may cause trouble for Ukraine, which harbors a major Russian naval force in Crimea.

The fears have increased sharply after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday signed decrees recognizing Georgia’s two separatist and Moscow-backed enclaves as independent states.

The move, which comes days after a brief war which saw Russian tanks going deep into Georgian territory, has been condemned by the world’s major powers and by Ukraine.

Miliband said Moscow's "unilateral attempt to redraw the map marks a moment of real significance.” He also said Medvedev had a "big responsibility not to start" a new cold war, although the Russian president said Tuesday Russia “was not afraid” of it.

Ukraine has been considering its options that would help it keep stability in the region, including doubling or even tripling spending on defense, while at the same time seeking to join NATO as soon as possible.

“Obviously, we will feel safe only when Ukraine and Georgia will become members of the North-Atlantic alliance,” Volodymyr Ohryzko, Ukraine’s foreign minister, said at a press conference after meeting Miliband.

“This will be the most important guarantee of security for Ukraine and Georgia,” Ohryzko said. “On the other hand in this way Ukraine would make contribution to stability of the entire region of the Eastern Europe.”

Ukraine and Georgia seek to get the Membership Action Plan, a program that precedes direct accession to the alliance, at a NATO summit in December.

Miliband said the British government supports Ukraine's application for the full NATO membership.

Russia, which views the alliance as a military threat, has been aggressively opposing NATO’s expansion to Ukraine and Georgia. Some analysts said that the war in Georgia was partially caused by Moscow’s attempt to derail Tbilisi’s plans for joining the alliance.

But Ohryzko said that Ukraine’s joining of NATO should not be viewed by Moscow as a threat.

“Without any conditions, our aspiration to join NATO will under no circumstances cause any harm to Ukrainian-Russian ties,” Ohryzko said. “We have to understand at last that every country has the right to protect its sovereignty, has the right for national security and has the right for a choice.”

“This is Ukraine’s choice, it has been made and is being implemented,” Ohryzko said. “So, let’s stop all speculation right there.” (tl/ez)