KYIV – Ukraine’s Parliament voted on December 23 to abandon the country’s neutral “non-bloc” status and set a course for NATO membership, a move immediately denounced by Russia as “unfriendly.” The legislative amendment submitted by President Petro Poroshenko last week was approved with 303 “yes” votes in the 450-seat Verkhovna Rada. A note explaining the … Continue reading Verkhovna Rada votes to abandon neutrality, as Ukraine sets sights on NATO membership