Russia has once again voiced its firm opposition to Ukraine’s potential membership in the US-led NATO alliance, describing the move as an unacceptable threat to its national security.
Moscow Sees NATO Expansion as a Security Threat
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that the continued push by NATO to draw Ukraine closer remains a major concern for Moscow. Speaking to reporters in Moscow, she stated, “For us, the threat is still the expansion of NATO. NATO’s desire to pull Ukraine into its orbit remains a threat to us.”
Zakharova added that Ukraine joining a military bloc that views Russia as a security threat is “unacceptable to us.” She stressed that NATO’s classification of Russia as a danger in all operational domains highlights why Moscow views the alliance’s expansion as a direct provocation.
Ukraine’s NATO Aspirations and Constitutional Commitment
One of President Vladimir Putin’s key conditions for ending the war in Ukraine is a Western guarantee that Ukraine will never become a NATO member. At the 2008 Bucharest summit, NATO leaders agreed that Ukraine and Georgia would one day join the alliance. In 2019, Ukraine amended its constitution to formalise its long-term goal of joining both NATO and the European Union.
Despite these ambitions, Russia has maintained that any move to integrate Ukraine into NATO undermines regional stability and poses a direct challenge to its security interests.
US Peace Plan Suggests Ukraine Should Stay Out of NATO
Former US President Donald Trump has also linked Ukraine’s NATO aspirations to the ongoing conflict. He has argued that previous US support for Kyiv’s membership bid was one of the causes of the war and suggested that Ukraine will not gain NATO membership under future agreements.
A 28-point US peace proposal reportedly includes a clause stating that Ukraine would permanently renounce joining NATO. Point seven of the plan reads: “Ukraine agrees to enshrine in its constitution that it will not join NATO, and NATO agrees to include in its statutes a provision that Ukraine will not be admitted in the future.”
(with inputs from Reuters)
