Poroshenko again threatens to hold a referendum on Ukraine’s accession to NATO

While visiting France, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that he was going to organize a nationwide referendum on Ukraine’s accession to NATO.

“This is a fundamental issue and I am going to organize a nationwide referendum for the people to decide,” Poroshenko said in an interview to iTele.

One more priority for Poroshenko is Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. “Ukraine is a European country, so, Europe cannot be whole without Ukraine,” the Ukrainian president said.

He said that Ukraine was a free and independent state and would defend itself. “I believe in ourvictory. Crimea will always be Ukrainian. It cannot be separated from Ukraine,” Poroshenko said.

He did not specify when exactly he was going to organize the referendum on Ukraine’s accession to NATO. He mentioned this possibility several times already. Last time was his meeting with Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite in late Nov 2014. In May 2014, when Poroshenko was not yet elected president, he said that it was not expedient to hold such a referendum was there was no sufficient unity for that moment.

Russia has repeatedly urged the West to provide guarantees that Ukraine will not join NATO but has received none so far.