Washington -- Having pressed his country to give up nuclear weapons and reform its economy, Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma received U.S. President Bill Clinton's pledge Tuesday to support "your independence, your territorial integrity and your reforms."


Welcoming Kuchma at the White House, Clinton said, "We are bound together by a dedication to peace and a devotion to freedom."


Kuchma received a full state welcome on the South Lawn on a cloudless fall day. Bands played and a 21-gun salute boomed out.


Once the ceremonies ended, the two presidents went to the Oval Office for a one-on-one meeting during which Clinton planned to offer Ukraine an additional $200 million in aid and security assurances. It was the first meeting between Clinton and Kuchma.


Administration officials said Clinton planned to offer Ukraine $100 million to help pay for its imports and another $100 million in technical assistance.


Congress already has approved $350 million to help Ukraine deactivate its missiles and ship the 1,800 warheads to Russia. Another $350 million in economic aid is in the pipeline.


Kuchma also was expected to ask Clinton for more Western assistance to shut down nuclear power plants like the Chernobyl reactor, scene in 1986 of the world's worst nuclear accident.


More than two years ago, the U.S. and 16 other countries and international organizations pledged $785 million to make Soviet-built nuclear plants safer.


Overall, through September, the United States has provided $539 million to Ukraine, including $177 million to help deactivate nuclear missiles.


Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott said he was confident the incoming Republican-controlled Congress would not cut aid to Ukraine, the fourth-largest U.S. aid recipient and the world's third-largest nuclear power.


Relations between the two countries took a decided turn for the better last week when the Ukrainian parliament voted to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and give up the nuclear arsenal it inherited from the Soviet Union.