NATO membership is Ukraine's strategic course: President

Kiev, Sep 18 (IANS) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that becoming a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is Ukraine's strategic course, the presidency's official website reported on Thursday.Speaking at the opening ceremony of the "Rapid Trident-2020" multinational military exercise, Zelensky noted that the armed conflict in Donbas poses a threat to the security of not only Ukraine, but also all European countries and the world as a whole, Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday.Ukraine is uniting with its partners, through integration into the NATO for example, to address that threat, he said.Zelensky added that he has approved the National Security Strategy of Ukraine earlier this week, in which NATO membership is referred to as the country's strategic course.Last year, Ukraine's parliament backed amendments to the Constitution, confirming Ukraine's path toward the NATO. In June this year, the NATO recognized Ukraine as its Enhanced Opportunities Partner.
--IANS rt/