Ukraine withdraws NATO bid

Ukraine’s parliament has approved a bill that prevents the country from joining NATO, Prime Minister Nikolai Azarov says.

Azarov said on Thursday that President Viktor Yanukovych had proposed to give up integration into NATO and declare Ukraine a neutral state.

“No doubt the world and our neighbors will properly interpret the president’s initiative,” the prime minister said.

Among priorities are to ensure Ukraine’s full-fledged participation in European and regional collective security systems, to get membership in the European Union and to preserve good-neighborly relations and strategic partnership with Russia, as well as with other world countries, Azarov continued.

Yanukovych was elected president earlier this year promising to end Ukraine’s bid for NATO membership.

Kiev formally applied to join NATO under the former President Viktor Yushchenko in 2008.