Ukraine president says referendums on NATO, EU membership soon

KIEV, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine will soon hold referendums on whether to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU), President Petro Poroshenko said Friday.

"We are firmly committed to Euro-Atlantic integration course. For sure, in the foreseeable future, we will hold referendums on both -- the accession to NATO and the membership in the EU," Poroshenko tweeted.

In 2014, when the pro-West authorities came to power in Ukraine, Kiev abandoned its multi-vector policy and set a course toward European integration. Besides, the parliament revoked Ukraine's non-aligned status, paving the way for joining military blocs.

Over the past three years, Ukraine has strengthened its cooperation with the EU and dialogue with NATO, but neither organization has promised Kiev near-term membership prospects.

Local experts say the EU and NATO are reluctant to discuss Ukraine's possible accession because currently it does not meet their political, military, legal and economic criteria.

According to the Ukrainian authorities, about 57 percent of Ukrainians support the EU membership drive and 62 percent favor joining NATO. Enditem