The Verkhovna Rada has appealed to the U.S. Congress regarding security guarantees for Ukraine.

Some 232 people's deputies supported the corresponding resolution on the appeal to the Congress at the plenary session of the Ukrainian parliament on Wednesday, an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent reports.

"In accordance with the spirit and language of the Budapest Memorandum, as well as the development of a strategic partnership between our states, we ask the U.S. to consider the issue of concluding a defense agreement with Ukraine and granting Ukraine a status of a major ally beyond NATO," the resolution says.

Ukraine seeks to deepen its security partnership with the U.S., the appeal said, adding that principal non-NATO ally status had been granted both to non-warring nations, such as Australia, New Zealand and Japan, and to countries in a state of war, such as South Korea, Afghanistan and Israel.

"The granting of principal non-NATO ally status to Ukraine and the conclusion of a bilateral defense agreement between Ukraine and the U.S. would be of paramount importance for terminating Russian aggression against Ukraine, deterring the aggressor, and averting a major war in Europe," the appeal said.