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U.S. President George W. Bush is seeking to boost Ukraine's beleaguered leader Viktor Yushchenko.

The pro-Western Ukrainian leader was at the White House Monday. The two leaders said they discussed Yushchenko's aspirations for NATO and EU membership.

Yushchenko is locked in a political standoff at home with Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

The coalition of the two Ukrainian leaders fell apart earlier this month due to rivalry ahead of the 2010 presidential vote. The president and prime minister have disagreed over the appropriate reaction to Russia's invasion of Georgia.

Moscow bitterly opposes NATO bids by Ukraine and Georgia. Yushchenko has fiercely condemned the Kremlin and sided with Georgia. Tymoshenko has called for more balanced relations with Moscow.