US President George W Bush has called on NATO allies to send more troops to help fight the Taliban in Afghanistan.

In a keynote speech hours before the two-day NATO summit in Bucharest, Romania, Mr Bush said: "As [French] President Sarkozy put it in London last week, we cannot afford to lose Afghanistan.

"Whatever the cost, however difficult, we cannot afford it, we must win.

"If we do not defeat the terrorists in Afghanistan, we will face them on our soil."

France and Romania have already agreed to send more troops and Mr Bush wants other nations to follow suit.

The NATO-led force in Afghanistan currently numbers around 47,000 troops from 40 countries.

Reports suggest that Mr Bush wants an additional 10,000 troops in Afghanistan.

On Tuesday, Bush was in Kiev, Ukraine, where he supported the country's attempt to join NATO after meeting Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko.

Mr Bush said Ukraine had made an ambitious decision to request membership and America "strongly supported it".

He also praised Ukraine's democratic and military reforms.

But Mr Bush is likely to face strong opposition from France and Russia.

Both nations have opposed NATO membership for Ukraine and fellow ex-Soviet state Georgia.

The article Bush wants more troops for Afghan mission originally appeared on 999 Today