President Petro Poroshenko has signed the Law on the abolition of the non-aligned status of Ukraine. "I think it was a strategic and fundamental mistake in 2010, when Ukraine acquired the non-aligned status. Having done that, Ukraine has destroyed its Armed Forces," the Head of State has noted when signing the Law at the press conference in Kyiv.
Answering the question of journalists on holding the referendum regarding Ukraine's accession to NATO, the President has emphasized that one must reform the country for it to comply with the criteria of the EU and NATO. "These standards are 99% the same. When Ukraine will meet these criteria, the people of Ukraine will decide on NATO membership. Probably, these criteria will be achieved within the implementation of the Strategy of Reforms – 2020 in the course of the coming 5-6 years." Petro Poroshenko has noted.
The Law "On Amendments to Several Laws of Ukraine on the Abolition of the Non-Aligned Policy of Ukraine" was initiated by the President and approved by the Parliament on December 23. The document stipulates that the abolition of the non-aligned status would allow finding more efficient mechanisms of ensuring sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine, given the irreversibility of legislatively secured foreign course to the membership in the EU.