BUCHAREST , Romania ( CNN ) -- France has agreed to send a battalion of troops to eastern Afghanistan , a NATO spokesman has said . Canadian NATO-led soldiers walk patrol near Kandahar , Afghanistan . James Appathurai told reporters at a briefing that the move will help NATO meet Canada 's requirement that it send more troops to the volatile southern province of Kandahar , where Canadian troops are based . Canada agreed this month to extend its commitment of about 2,500 troops until 2011 so long as NATO contributes more troops to Kandahar . There is a `` clear unity in the alliance '' that the mission in Afghanistan must succeed , Appathurai said . Though 25 NATO allies and 13 other countries have contributed forces , the bulk of the recent fighting has been done by U.S. , Canadian , British and Dutch troops . Appathurai also said Thursday that he did not expect NATO applicants Georgia and Ukraine to be put on a membership action plan this summit but , he said , the general sense in terms of membership for the two countries is not `` whether , but when . '' Further discussions regarding those two countries is to resume Thursday , he said . U.S. President George W. Bush has pushed for the admission of Ukraine and Georgia to the military alliance . However , Russia -- which is not a NATO member -- has expressed concerns about the former Soviet republics joining NATO , which has already made members of other former Soviet countries Latvia , Lithuania , and Estonia . Appathurai also said a general consensus could not be reached on Macedonia 's bid , because of Greece 's objections . Greece has threatened to veto Macedonia 's bid if its northern neighbor does not agree to change its name . Athens has long argued that the name Macedonia implies territorial claims on its northern province of the same name -- the birthplace , also , of Greece 's most revered ancient warrior , Alexander the Great . The name issue must be resolved by the two countries , Appathurai said . E-mail to a friend .
French move will help NATO meet Canada 's Kandahar commitment . Canada agreed to extend commitment as long as other NATO members helped . The bulk of recent fighting has been done by U.S. , Canadian , UK and Dutch troops .