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Most Ukrainian citizens come against accession to NATO – opinion poll

For the entry of Ukraine into NATO expressed only 15 percent of citizens

KIEV, May 17 (Itar-Tass) — The overwhelming majority of Ukrainian citizens come against the country’s accession to NATO, according to the opinion poll conducted by the Democratic Initiatives Foundation.

The poll’s results have been presented at a round table meeting devoted to the upcoming NATO summit in Chicago. According to the Foundation’s director, Irina Bekeshkina, “Only 15 percent of citizens vote for Ukraine’s accession to NATO while 62 percent of Ukrainians oppose this.”

Sociologists noted that those who had a negative attitude towards NATO “fear that Ukraine will be involved into the Alliance’s military actions”. The rest of respondents support the state’s non-aligned status.

In July 2010 Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich signed a law, “On the Basis of Internal and Foreign Policies”, under which Kiev had declared the non-aligned status and given up integration into NATO.

The opinion poll involved 2,009 respondents and was conducted from March 30 to April 4.

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