Kyiv's political agenda in early April 2021: cannabis vote and NATO appeal
A look back at two developments in Ukrainian politics reported in the days leading up to 8 April 2021.
What was shaping Ukrainian politics on 8 April 2021? Two developments from the preceding days framed the moment: a parliamentary vote on medical cannabis and a presidential appeal to NATO.
On 7 April 2021, the Verkhovna Rada voted to legalise the use of medical cannabis products, a decision reported as a legislative step on the issue in Ukraine.
A day earlier, on 6 April 2021, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on NATO to hasten Ukraine's accession to the military alliance. He framed the appeal as a response to a growing build-up of Russian troops and military hardware on the country's borders. He also asked the alliance to help bring an end to the ongoing conflict in the Donbas with pro-Russian separatists.
Together, the two items showed the range of business before Ukraine's institutions in those days: domestic legislation on one side, and security and foreign policy on the other.
