Russia's war in Ukraine
Russia is "threatened" by the potential for Ukraine to join NATO, Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, claimed on Sunday.
“We (Russia) have always asked for only one thing — to take into account our concerns and not to invite the former parts of our country into NATO,” Medvedev, a former Russian president and prime minister, wrote in an article for the state-run Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper.
“Especially those with whom we have territorial disputes. Therefore, our goal is simple — to eliminate the threat of Ukraine's membership in NATO.”
Part of Russia’s premise for its invasion of Ukraine was to fend off NATO from expanding close to its borders.
And Medvedev said Moscow is ready to deliberately make the current conflict a permanent one, because "this is a matter of Russia's existence."
Some context: The matter of Ukrainian membership in NATO is one of several issues leaders will tackle when they meet in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on July 11 and 12.
The issue will prove one of the biggest flash points for the group, which has managed to remain remarkably united amid Russia’s unprovoked invasion.
Some allies, particularly those in Eastern Europe who are located closer to Ukraine and Russia, have advocated for a more concrete path for Kyiv to join the defensive alliance once the war ends.
Other European officials, particularly those in western and southern Europe, have argued an expedited entrance of Ukraine into NATO could be too provocative and that it could amount to an extremely risky gamble for the alliance even if there is an end to the fighting, particularly if Russia still stakes claim over Ukrainian territory.
Source: CNN
