Referendum to make final decision on Ukrainian membership in NATO – Poroshenko

13:32, 04.06.2015 1 min read

The people of Ukraine will make a final decision on its possible accession to NATO at a referendum, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said.

"The people of Ukraine have an exclusive right to make a final decision on this sensitive and extremely important issue. But I will not allow the use of it as a pretext for unsettling the country, because unity is a priority of mine and every one of us," he said in his annual message delivered at the Verkhovna Rada on Thursday.

Judging by opinion polls, the number of people supporting the accession to NATO is larger than the number of persons who think differently for the first time ever, he added. However, many Western partners "are not prepared to open the NATO door to us right now," the president said. "You, dear deputies, and I are not going to look to Moscow in dealing with this matter, but we also have no right to ignore the opinion of our Western partners," the president said.