CRI听力:Ukraine Abolishes Non-aligned Status

Ukraine's parliament dropped the nation's nonaligned status Tuesday, paving the way for a bid to join NATO.

The bill submitted to Parliament by President Petro Poroshenko was passed with more than 300 votes in favor.

Oleh Lyashko is a member of Parliament.

"We cannot afford the luxury to have non-aligned status. We have no time and no money to waste and need urgently to build the Ukrainian army in order to defend our homeland. We need to become part of the collective system of defence which is NATO. Ukraine's place is in Europe; Ukraine's place is in NATO."

The new law envisages that Kiev is heading for deepening cooperation with NATO in order to achieve the criteria which are required for membership in the military bloc.

Ukraine and NATO established a partnership in 1991, shortly after it gained its independence from the former Soviet Union.

But opponents warn the move will increase tensions with Moscow.

Russia had sought to persuade Ukraine to join the Eurasian Economic Union, an alliance which Russian President Vladimir Putin finalized Tuesday at a meeting with four other ex-Soviet leaders.