Ukraine in NATO ‘very negative’ for European security: Kremlin

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Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky sings Ukraine’s national anthem during an event for the return of commanders of Ukrainian forces who held Mariupol’s resistance in the city’s Azovstal steel plant, in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on July 8, 2023. Ukrainian commanders Denys Prokopenko, Svyatoslav Palamar, Serhyi Volynsky, Denys Shleha and Oleh Khomenko returned to Ukraine from Istanbul by plane with the Ukrainian president, who was on visit to the Turkish city. The action was slammed by the Kremlin saying both Ukraine and Turkey had violated terms of an agreement for the commanders to remain in Turkey until the end of the conflict. (Photo by YURIY DYACHYSHYN / AFP)

MOSCOW, July 10, 2023 (AFP) – The Kremlin said Monday that Ukraine’s NATO membership would have “very negative” consequences for European security, ahead of the alliance’s summit in Lithuania this week.

“Ukraine’s membership in NATO would have very, very negative consequences for the entire security architecture in Europe, which is already half destroyed,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

He added that Kyiv’s membership in the Western military bloc would represent “an absolute danger and a threat to our country” that would call for a “firm” response from Moscow. He did not elaborate.

NATO leaders meet in Lithuania on Tuesday for a summit set to be dominated by the alliance’s response to Russia’s assault on Ukraine and Kyiv’s push for membership.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he does not expect Ukraine to actually join NATO until after the conflict but he hopes the summit will give a “clear signal” on the intention to bring Ukraine into the alliance.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has repeatedly raged about NATO’s eastward expansion, accused NATO members of taking part in the Ukraine conflict by donating arms to Kyiv and said the West planned to break up Russia.