(26 Apr 2014) Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko on Saturday said Ukraine "must be a member of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation)" in order to protect itself from Russian aggression.
Tymoshenko, who is running in the May 25 presidential election, told the Associated Press in an interview that while only a minority of Ukrainians supported NATO membership previously, Russia's aggressive actions in the country's east had forced a "fundamental change" in public thinking.
She said with "his war against us, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin was able to change the mentality of Ukrainians and turn us in a different strategic direction," she said.
"NATO is the best choice for Ukraine," she added.
While Tymoshenko had not previously backed NATO membership publicly, she and other Ukrainian politicians have ramped up the tough rhetoric as pro-Russia militias seized police stations and government buildings across eastern Ukraine.
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