You're reading: Yuschenko’s election platform promises visa-free travel with EU, not mentioning NATO membership

Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko, who is running for a second term in office, has said that his aim is to gain European Union membership for Ukraine.

"Ukrainian citizens will appreciate the benefits of the European direction. Ukrainians will be able to travel to EU member-states without visas, and their rights will be protected abroad," according to Yushchenko’s election platform dubbed "A Free, Fair and Strong Ukraine" which has been published on the Central Election Commission’s Web site.

The program has no clause about Ukraine’s membership of NATO. It states, however, that together with its European neighbors, Ukraine will strengthen the Euro-Atlantic system of collective security.

The incumbent president also promised that Ukraine will comply with all its obligations and will be striving for reciprocity from its partners.

"The Black Sea fleet of the Russian Federation will be withdrawn from the country by 2017 according to the Constitution of Ukraine and the relevant accords," the document reads.

Yushchenko also said he intends to hold an active dialog with all of Ukraine’s neighbors based on the principles of equal rights, good neighborly relations and mutual trust.