Ukraine Votes To Drop Non-aligned Status, Agrees To Join Nato

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Ukraine’s parliament has voted to drop its non-aligned status and work towards Nato membership. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has however called the move “counterproductive” and said it would boost tensions. BBC reports:

The BBC’s David Stern in Kiev says it is not clear when Ukraine will apply for Nato membership and many officials see it as a distant prospect.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko pledged to seek Nato membership over Russian support for rebels in the east.

Russia, which annexed the Crimean peninsula in March, denies supplying the rebels with weapons. However, it is subject to EU and US sanctions over the crisis.

In a vote in Ukraine’s parliament on Tuesday, MPs overwhelmingly backed the move by 303 to eight.

The non-aligned status, which Ukraine adopted in 2010 under Russian pressure, prevents states from joining military alliances.

Addressing foreign ambassadors on Monday night, President Poroshenko said Ukraine’s “fight for its independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty has turned into a decisive factor in our relations with the world”.