MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Moscow welcomes French President Francois Hollande’s stance on possible Ukraine's NATO membership, Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov said Thursday.
“We welcome these announcements because it’s a completely pragmatic view of things,” Ushakov said.
Earlier in the day, Hollande said Ukraine's joining NATO would be "undesirable" for France.
In 2010, Viktor Yanukovych, the Ukrainian president at the time, signed a law formalizing the non-aligned status of the country, ruling out Ukraine's membership in any military-political alliance.
In December 2014, Ukraine canceled its non-aligned status and reasserted its intention to join NATO, with President Petro Poroshenko calling Yanukovych's decision a strategic mistake.
Kiev's intention to become part of NATO has received a mixed response from the alliance members. Most NATO officials do not believe the country, in its current condition, is ready to join the bloc.
