KIEV, September 3 (RIA Novosti) -The Ukrainian government has approved legislation to change the country’s “non-bloc” status and begin efforts to join NATO, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said Wednesday.
“Our goal before the NATO summit is to receive a special status between Ukraine and NATO. NATO should give Ukraine a special status of ‘special partner number one,’” Yatsenyuk said during a government session.
“This decision, of course, is not simple to complete among the alliance’s members,” he continued.
The legislation to drop Ukraine’s “non-aligned bloc” status and renew its path to becoming a member of NATO wasintroduced in the Ukrainian parliament by Yatsenyuk on August 29.
Ukraine’s position on the matter has fluctuated through the years, as previous President Viktor Yanukovych saw Ukraine as a nonaligned state, while his predecessor Viktor Yushchenko strived for NATO membership. In 2008, NATO declined Ukraine’s application to join the organization.
NATO regulations do not allow countries involved in territorial disputes to become members of the organization, currently the case as Ukraine refuses to acknowledge Crimea’s reunification with Russia.
On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed regret in Ukraine’s plans to join NATO, saying such moves undermine efforts toward a peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian conflict.
