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, Ukraine's leader Petro Poroshenko signed a new military doctrine, stipulating the need for the country's armed forces to match NATO standards by 2020.
"For NATO, it is an absolute principle, which we all attach great importance to, and that is that every nation has the right to decide its own path, including, of course, Ukraine. And whether Ukraine is going to become a member of NATO or not, it's something which is for Ukraine and the 28, soon to be 29, allies to decide. No one else has the right to try to intervene or to veto such a process," Stoltenberg told reporters after a NATO-Ukraine Commission meeting amid the alliance's summit in Warsaw.
