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WARSAW, PolandThe Ukrainian parliament has voted to restore NATO membership as the countrys strategic foreign policy objective.

The Verkhovna Rada passed a bill to amend the Ukrainian laws on national security and internal and foreign policies. The new laws hereby enact Ukraines commitment to achieve NATO membership strategically by having made it legally binding, the parliament said in a statement on June 8.

Passed by a majority of 276 MPs out of the 450 elected lawmakers, the bill represents a shift from Ukraines previous non-aligned policy. The move is expected to stimulate increased military cooperation between Ukraine and NATO allies. It is also likely to foster procurements of Western-made weapons and military equipment to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and spur partnerships between Ukraines defense industry and foreign players.

"What we heard today is a unanimous support for Ukraine in such a difficult time. We highly evaluate our cooperation with NATO in all spheres. We are very grateful for the support," Groysman said February 9.

Meanwhile, Kievs strengthened commitment to joining NATO is also expected to further strain its relations with Moscow. Last March marked the third anniversary of Russias annexation of Ukraines Crimean peninsula that followed a military intervention.

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Ukraine parliament restores NATO membership as strategic target - DefenseNews.com