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Opposition to NATO Bid Increases in Ukraine
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - More Ukrainian adults believe their country should not join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), according to a poll by the Democratic Initiatives Foundation. 59 per cent of respondents would vote against NATO accession in a referendum, up six points since December.
NATO was originally formed in 1949 as an agreement of collaboration designed to prevent a possible attack from the Soviet Union on North America or Western Europe during the Cold War. In March 2004, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia officially joined NATO.
A series of public demonstrations took place in Kiev after the November 2004 presidential run-off. The Ukrainian Supreme Court eventually invalidated the results of the second round, and ordered a special re-vote. Opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko—whose supporters wore orange-coloured clothing at events and rallies—received 51.99 per cent of all cast ballots, defeating Viktor Yanukovych. Yushchenko and current Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko have advocated for closer ties with NATO.
On Apr. 1, U.S. president George W. Bush endorsed Ukraine’s NATO bid, saying, "Ukraine is the only non-NATO nation supporting every NATO mission. In Afghanistan and Iraq, Ukrainian troops are helping to support young democracies. In Kosovo, Ukrainians (...) help keep the peace. Ukraine now seeks to deepen its cooperation with the NATO alliance through a Membership Action Plan. Your nation has made a bold decision, and the United States strongly supports your request."
On Apr. 23, the foreign ministers of the countries that form the Visegrad 4 Group—the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia—signed a statement in support of Georgia and Ukraine as future NATO members. The group defined the "membership action plan" as "an important step towards deepening cooperation in political, defence, security and other spheres."
Polling Data
If a referendum on whether Ukraine should join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) took place today, how would you vote?
|
Mar. 2008 |
Dec. 2007 |
|
|
In favour |
22% |
32% |
|
Against |
59% |
53% |
|
Not sure |
19% |
15% |
Source: Democratic Initiatives Foundation
Methodology: Interviews with 2,000 Ukrainian adults, conducted from Mar. 17 to Mar. 31, 2008. Margin of error is 2.2 per cent.