Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovych said on Thursday that Ukraine is not yet ready to join NATO.

"Entry into NATO is not realistic for our country today. NATO conditions would require us to have the support of the majority of the population," he told reporters in the Western city of Lviv.

He stressed that Ukraine considers its relation with NATO as a partnership.

"Ukraine can't live without this (partnership), because Ukraine is a large country," Yanukovych added.

However, he said that Ukraine would participate actively in the creation of a new collective security system in Europe.