MOSCOW (Sputnik) — In 2014, Ukraine dropped its non-aligned status, opening the way for NATO membership and drawing criticism from Russia and many other states. In September 2015, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed a new military doctrine, stipulating the need for the country's armed forces to match NATO standards by 2020.
"The question of Ukrainian membership is in the stage of internal negotiation," Waszczykowski told journalists adding that alliance's "conviction is growing."
In February 2016, Poroshenko signed the Ukraine-NATO cooperation plan for 2016 outlining general policy goals of Ukraine’s partnership with the military alliance and the areas of cooperation in international security, including peacekeeping, counter-terrorism, arms control and environmental safety.
