The president of Ukraine plans to hold a referendum so citizens of that country can decide if they want to join NATO or not.

Petro Poroshenko has signed a bill dropping Ukraine’s non-alligned status.  He told a news conference in Kyiv today, he is working to reform the Ukrainian economy and its military forces to meet European Union and NATO standards, but he will leave it up to Ukrainian citizens to decide whether to join NATO or not.

Last week, Ukraine’s parliament abandoned the nonaligned position.

Ukraine’s prospects for membership in the near term appear dim but  Russia has reacted angrily to the possibility, calling it a threat to its own and Europe’s security.