KYIV. March 22 (Interfax) - The Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada has asked the U.S. Congress to provide security guarantees for Ukraine.
The appeal to Congress gained the support of 232 Verkhovna Rada deputies at a plenary meeting on Wednesday, an Interfax correspondent reported.
"Consistent with the letter and the spirit of the Budapest Memorandum and in furtherance of strategic partnership between our states, we are requesting that the United States consider the possibility of concluding a defense agreement with Ukraine providing it with principal non-NATO ally status," the appeal said.
Ukraine seeks to deepen its security partnership with the United States, the appeal said, adding that principal non-NATO ally status had been granted both to non-warring nations, such as Australia, New Zealand and Japan, and to countries in a state of war, such as South Korea, Afghanistan and Israel.
"The granting of principal non-NATO ally status to Ukraine and the conclusion of a bilateral defense agreement between Ukraine and the U.S. would be of paramount importance for terminating Russian aggression against Ukraine, deterring the aggressor, and averting a major war in Europe," the appeal said.