The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted in principle and as a whole the presidential draft law on Ukraine's refusal of the non-aligned status.
The relevant bill No. 1014-3 was supported by 303 members of parliament, reports the correspondent of Espresso.TV.
The explanatory note states that Ukraine's non-aligned status proved ineffective in ensuring the country's security against external aggression and pressure.
At the same time, international obligations to respect Ukraine's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity do not guarantee its external security.
In this regard, there is an urgent need to abandon Ukraine's non-aligned status, which will allow for a full realization of the search for more effective mechanisms for the protection of independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the state, taking into account the irreversibility of the legislatively secured foreign policy aimed at acquiring EU membership, the document states.
It is worth reminding that on December 17, in the Polish Sejm, President Petro Poroshenko stated that he would submit a draft law on Ukraine's non-alignment to the Verkhovna Rada. At the same time, the president noted that it does not mean that Ukraine will 'apply to NATO tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.'