JABAR EKSPRES – Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Ukraine’s prospect of joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a “fundamental threat” to Russia’s security.
Addressing African leaders in St. Petersburg on Friday, Putin said the advancement of the alliance’s military infrastructure was “unacceptable.”
Putin also emphasized the fate of conflict-torn countries, including Iraq, Libya and Syria, which he said have been declared adversaries by NATO member states.
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“for years, (the West) has been preparing a hybrid war with our country, making every effort to turn Ukraine into a tool for destabilizing the foundations of the Russian Federation’s security, undermining Russia’s position in the world and undermining our statehood,” he said.
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Putin said Ukraine’s military development reached its peak in 2014 when Western countries supported an unconstitutional armed and bloody coup in Ukraine.
At the time, former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, who was pro-Russian, was ousted by the people for his decision to refuse to join the European Union trade pact.
“(The West) ignored all norms of international law and directly, openly said that they sponsored this coup, even mentioning the amount of money they spent on it,” Putin said.
Putin also recalled Ukraine’s Declaration of Independence, which includes a clause on the country’s status as a neutral state.
“In the declaration, it is written that Ukraine is a neutral state, and this is very important for us,” he stressed.
