KIEV, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Ukrainian parliament on Thursday has approved in the first reading a bill on including into Constitution Ukraine's intention to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU).
The legislation was supported by 311 votes in favor in the 450-seat parliament, according to a statement on the parliament's website.
Earlier in the day, the draft law on the constitutional amendments, which was submitted by President Petro Poroshenko in September, was approved by the country's Constitutional Court.
In 2014, when pro-West authorities came to power in Ukraine, Kiev abandoned its multilateral policy and set a course toward European integration. Furthermore, the parliament revoked Ukraine's non-aligned status, paving the way for its membership in military blocs.
Over the past four years, Ukraine has strengthened cooperation with the EU and increased interactions with NATO, but neither organization has promised Kiev near-term membership prospects.
