Donbas supports neutral status

I've translated a bit from an article in today's 'Donbass' newspaper entitled:

'Donbass supports [Ukraine's] neutrality'

According to the 'Declaration of State Sovereignty' dated 16th July, 1990, Ukraine proclaimed its intention to be a neutral state that will not participate in any military bloc.

Subsequent state authorities have tried to alter this, and by various means change Ukraine's non aligned bloc status. But the results of a sociological study carried out between 1st and 3rd October by the analytical service of Nikolai Gavrilov show a large part of adult population in the Donetsk region considers that Ukraine should remain a neutral state. Of 708 questioned, 71% women and 67% of men support this neutral status, with 21% of women and 24% of men against this

Of the respondents who want Ukraine to remain a neutral state, 28% justified their position saying such a status was advantageous to our country, 23% said that the neutrality of Ukraine was the essence of its independence, 22% concluded that this status gives Ukraine fewer problems, while 9% thought this the optimum position for interrelations with other countries.

Note: Article 9, entitled 'External and Internal Security', of the 'Declaration of State Independence', states :

The Ukrainian SSR has the right to its own armed forces.
The Ukrainian SSR has its own internal armies and bodies of state security subordinated to the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR.
The Ukrainian SSR determines procedures for military service by citizens of the Republic.
Citizens of the Ukrainian SSR perform their military service, as a rule, on the territory of the Republic, and cannot be used for military purpose beyond its borders without the consent of the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR.
The Ukrainian SSR solemnly declares its intention of becoming a permanently neutral state that does not participate in military blocs and adheres to three nuclear free principles: to accept, to produce and to purchase no nuclear weapons.

Passed by the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
Kyiv, July 16, 1990

I presume a national referendum would be required to alter this Declaration, before entry into NATO could be considered.