MOSCOW, December 23 (Sputnik) — The Verkhovna Rada's (the Ukrainian parliament), vote to waive Ukraine's non-aligned status is a serious political mistake that could have dire consequences for the settlement of the crisis in the country, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said Tuesday.
The Ukrainian parliament passed a bill earlier on Tuesday canceling the country's non-aligned status and confirming Kiev's determination to join NATO.
"The adopted decision is a serious political mistake made by the Ukrainian authorities," Karasin told RIA Novosti.
"It could have serious consequences, affecting, in particular, the settlement of the crisis in the country," Karasin stressed.
Ukraine's non-aligned status was established by a 2010 law signed by then-president Viktor Yanukovych and stipulated that Ukraine would not seek membership of military-political alliances.
However, the new Kiev authorities have renewed the drive toward NATO membership since the outbreak of an armed conflict in the country's southeast, a conflict they have blamed on a military intervention by Russia.
In August, the Ukrainian government said the non-aligned status did not guarantee the country’s security and reaffirmed its plans to join the 28-member military bloc.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has repeatedly warned Kiev that neutral status is in the best interests of the Ukrainian people, their neighbors and Europe.
Ukraine's NATO bid has prompted a mixed reaction from the alliance, with the majority of NATO officials saying the country was not ready to join the bloc, and urging Kiev to implement a wide range of reforms before pursuing NATO membership.
