Diksia.com - Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says Russia will block Ukraine from joining NATO.
Russia has so far demanded that NATO respect the security of its borders, but the Kremlin cannot restrain NATO’s territorial expansion.
“Russia is threatened by the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO. We will somehow stop the threat of Ukraine joining NATO,” Dmitry Medvedev told the Russian national newspaper Sunday ( February 7, 2023) article.
The comments challenged Russia’s miscalculation to block NATO’s expansion into Ukraine, which had prompted Finland and Sweden to apply for NATO membership.
“The two Nordic countries have joined the (NATO) alliance,” Medvedev said.
“Even though Russia has always asked our former countries, especially those with territorial disputes with us, not to extend part,” he continued, citing RT.
Medvedev promised Russia would not stop the war if the threat of Ukraine joining NATO still existed.
“As NATO members say, a country involved in armed conflict cannot join. Russia’s very existence is at stake, so the conflict with Ukraine will be perpetual,” Medvedev warned.
The article details Medvedev’s views on hostilities in Ukraine in the broader context of geopolitical conflict.
the war will last long
Dmitry Medvedev admitted that he has his own views on the Ukraine war.
“You don’t need to be a prophet to understand that this confrontation (in Ukraine) will last for decades,” he predicted.
He said there needs to be a global balance of power in which Ukraine does not have the anti-Russian views it has today.
“A balanced world order will require a new international agreement, similar to the 1975 Helsinki Final Law, and possibly a review of the United Nations,” Medvedev said.
He outlined the pact’s commitment to peace, security and respect for human rights, as the agreement is an important element in de-escalating tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union.
Ukraine wants invitation to NATO summit
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky previously expressed his wishes to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who visited Kiev on Saturday (7 January 2023).
He sought Spain’s support to invite Ukraine to the NATO summit, hoping for NATO membership.
“We believe that today there are good reasons to extend the invitation of Ukraine to join NATO,” Zelensky said.
Through an interview with Spanish media El Pais, President Zelensky hopes that Ukraine will be invited to the NATO summit to be held in Vilnius, Lithuania on July 11-12, 2023.
“We would like to accept the invitation (to join NATO) at the NATO summit in Vilnius,” he said in a statement from the Ukrainian president’s office.
According to him, NATO is the best security in the face of Russian aggression.
“I have no other choice,” Mr. Zelensky said.
