As international leaders descended on this eastern European city from as far as Canada and Australia for a NATO summit, Bush used an early morning address to rally support for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and a missile defense shield to protect Europe against attack by Iran.

"Today, we have no way to defend Europe against such an emerging threat," Bush said.

He urged Russia to join the trans-Atlantic effort rather than feel threatened by it. "The Cold War is over. Russia is not our enemy," Bush said.

The president has three major priorities this week during his last NATO summit and subsequent trip to meet with President Vladimir Putin in Russia. All involve a larger and more robust European defense effort:

— He is pushing for NATO to admit three new Balkan states — Albania, Croatia and Macedonia — while also setting the table for the future membership of Georgia and Ukraine. NATO membership, Bush said, "must remain open to all of Europe's democracies that seek it and are ready to share in the responsibilities."

— He is seeking commitments for additional manpower in Afghanistan from NATO members; France and Romania have offered more troops.

"We ask other NATO nations to step forward with additional forces as well," Bush said. "If we do not defeat the terrorists in Afghanistan, we will face them on our own soil. Innocent civilians in Europe and North America will pay the price."

NATO has about 47,000 troops in Afghanistan. "An alliance that never fired a shot in the Cold War is now leading the fight on a key battleground of the first war in the 21st century," Bush said.

— He is calling for increased defense spending by NATO and European Union members to better protect themselves from new threats. As part of that effort, he's pushing for an expanded missile defense system designed to guard against attack from the Middle East. Russia has objected, but Bush hopes to woo Putin to support and participate in the system during meetings in Sochi, Russia, on Sunday. Such strategic cooperation, he said, would be "unprecedented."

"The need for missile defense in Europe is real, and in my opinion, it is urgent," he said. "Iran is pursuing technology that could be used to produce nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles of increasing range that could deliver them."

To drive home his point, the president conjured up memories of the "monstrous" Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and others in Madrid, London and Istanbul.

Bush cited NATO's increased role in war zones such as Kosovo and Darfur as an example of what he called "the changing nature of the NATO alliance."

"See, NATO is no longer a static alliance focused on defending Europe from a Soviet tank invasion," he said. "It is now an expeditionary alliance that is sending its forces across the world to help secure a future of freedom and peace for millions."

The president cited improvements in Iraq since 30,000 additional U.S. troops were sent there a year ago.

"In Iraq, we're witnessing the first large-scale Arab uprising against Osama bin Laden and his grim ideology and his terrorist network," Bush said. "Tens of thousands of ordinary citizens have stepped forward to join the fight against al-Qaeda."

Bush also used the speech to recall his first visit to Europe as president in July 2001, when he said "all of Europe's new democracies, from the Baltic to the Black Sea, should have the same chance for security and freedom — and the same chance to join the institutions of Europe." Today, he said, "those words have been fulfilled."

An audience of several hundred at the National Bank of Savings gave the president a polite response. Robert Hunter, former U.S. ambassador to NATO, called it a "very impressive" final NATO appearance.

"This is American leadership," Hunter said. "I think he set it up very nicely for the next president."

Later Wednesday, Bush repeated the NATO message at a news conference with Romanian President Traian Basescu.

"Nations need to take this mission seriously," the president said. "It's worth it for our own security and it's worth it for the cause of peace."

Basescu endorsed Bush's call.

"We have to do everything ... we can in order to make a success in our actions in Afghanistan, guaranteeing democratic development of the country, economic development of the country, security of the country, and eliminating the terrorist risks."

Contributing: Associated Press

		President Bush shakes hands with Romanian President Traian Basescu during a bilateral meeting at the Protocol Villas in Neptun, Romania, where he called on NATO allies to send more troops to Afghanistan, on Wednesday. By Mandel Ngan, AFP/Getty Images

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