[162], On 30 September, Ukraine formally submitted an application to become a NATO member. Germany leads a group of states in a multinational battlegroup with more than 1,200 troops from Belgium, Czech Republic, Iceland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Norway, which is based in Lithuania. Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya denied any plans for invasion and said Russia was within its rights to station troops anywhere within its own territory. [43][44] At the beginning of 2008 the work of the Rada was blocked for two months due, according to at least one observer, to this letter. [163], Western Ukraine has always been significantly more pro-NATO than the rest of the country. Once Ukraine fulfills all the necessary criteria to join the Alliance, final decision on this important issue will be approved by the Ukrainian people in a referendum. The country was also the primary destination for more than 5,000 US troops that arrives in Eastern Europe leading up to the invasion. Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, a longtime ally of Putin, allowed Russian forces to invade Ukraine via Belarus. North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)/NATO Map | Mappr Whom will Ukraine Choose? As a result of other agreements and the memorandum, between 1993 and 1996, Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons. Russia. [77] The law precluded Ukraine's membership of any military bloc, but allowed for co-operation with alliances such as NATO. While Ukraine is not a NATO member, it is a NATO partner country, and the treaty has helped to coordinate aid and assistance to Ukraine over the last 12 months, while continuing to assure the protection of individual member countries, many of which have sent weapons, money, and military equipment to help Ukraine fight. NATO - Member countries As in the previous version, the task of "deeply reforming the defense sphere of the state in accordance with European standards" was called "one of the most important priorities of domestic and foreign policy. Ukraine is applying to become a Nato member, but it is yet to be formally admitted. [68][69] Yanukovych's victory in the election marked a turnaround in Ukraine's relations with NATO.