NATO concluded the first day of annual summit meeting on a factious note, after allies refused to open membership doors to Ukraine and Georgia, on fear of a potential conflict with Russia.

Bush officials said NATO's leaders made no decisions about whether to accept former the Black Sea states and former Soviet republics. President Bush met with Ukraine President Viktor Yushchenko on Tuesday

Nor did they resolve the issue of how to proceed at Thursday's sessions on the idea of giving those countries a plan for eventual NATO membership.

France and Germany had laid claims it would reject the expansion plan to in order to prevent a crisis with Russia, which opposes the alliance's eastward expansion.

I would be happy to be proved wrong but I do not expect MAP for Georgia and Ukraine, said NATO spokesman James Appathurai, in reference to the Membership Action Plan sought by the two former-Soviet republics.

Bush said Putin should not fear NATO's expansion, but rather embrace the alliance because it is a group of nations dedicated to peace.

Meanwhile, Bush called on the alliance to embrace the aggressive policies of his presidency on every front, including Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran.

The alliance will also consider full membership for three countries, Croatia, Albania and Macedonia during the summit.

Germany Russia George W. Bush Putin