KIEV, October 17 (RIA Novosti) - Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said Monday the country's integration into the European Union and NATO was a key element of foreign policy.
"Today the young Ukrainian democracy is facing many challenges," Yushchenko told members of the Royal Institution of International Affairs in London. "Integration to the EU and NATO should be our strategy...and a key aspect of foreign policy."
He also said Ukraine had complied with two-thirds of the 67 obligations outlined in the Ukraine-EU plan of action.
"We are ready to comply with all the provisions of this document regarding Ukraine," Yushchenko added.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said earlier Russian-Ukrainian relations would have to be revised if Ukraine joined NATO. "Any sovereign country, including Ukraine, has the right to decide whether or not it should join NATO," he said. "However, Russia will have to revise relations with Ukraine and not necessarily in the area of security."
