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Ukraine parliament to debate draft laws on cancelling non-bloc status next week — speaker

Earlier, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that the country's non-bloc status had not proved its value and it was necessary to give it up

© Maxim Nikitin/TASS

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Ukraine's non-bloc status included in parliament agenda

KIEV, December 11. /TASS/. Ukraine’s parliament will debate draft law on cancelling the non-bloc status next week, speaker Volodymyr Groysman said on Thursday.

“The draft laws were submitted to the Verkhovna Rada session. Next week it will be put to vote,” he said, adding that three draft laws had been prepared.

The coalition agreement envisions the cancellation of the non-bloc status, Groysman said.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said, “Ukraine’s non-bloc status has not proved its value and it is necessary to give it up. That is why we returned to integration into NATO. We strengthen cooperation and compatibility of our army with the Alliance’s and turn to NATO standards.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, meanwhile, said late in November that Kiev’s abandonment of the current non-bloc status meant a course towards solving the conflict in south-eastern Ukraine by force and struggle against Russia.

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