Putin Says Russia Never Opposed Ukraine’s EU Membership, But Draws a Hard Line on NATO

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday claimed that Moscow has never opposed Ukraine joining the European Union, The Guardian reported. Speaking during a meeting with Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico in Beijing, Putin, however, reiterated that Ukraine joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as a member state still remains a red line for the Kremlin.

According to Reuters, Putin told reporters that “with NATO expanding eastwards, the alliance wanted to absorb the entire post-Soviet space, and Russia simply had to defend its interests.” The Russian leader further said that Ukrainian membership in NATO “would have been unacceptable to Russia.”

Fico Defends His Stance Amid EU Criticism

Fico, the only EU leader attending the Chinese event alongside Putin, addressed criticism from other European countries, and emphasized his respect for all victims of the Second World War while also reaffirming Slovakia’s commitment to the bloc.

Fico, the report said, also pushed for normalising economic ties with Russia and criticised Ukraine for attacks on critical gas infrastructure supplying Russian gas to Slovakia and Hungary.

On Ukraine’s EU membership, the Slovak PM reportedly said, “Every country has the right to a European [membership] perspective,” but stressed, “Ukraine must meet all conditions for entering the EU”. Reiterating his long-held view that Ukraine should not join NATO, Fico also warned that “political criteria cannot prevail over preparation criteria,” as reported by The Guardian.

Putin, for his part, praised Slovakia’s independent foreign policy, reportedly saying the Kremlin “highly values the independent foreign policy that you and your team, your government, are pursuing.”

NATO’s Mark Rutte Highlights Diplomatic Efforts for Ukraine Peace

Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte spoke in Luxembourg about ongoing diplomatic efforts to bring Russian President Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy together. 

Praising US President Donald Trump for “breaking the deadlock” on Ukraine by initiating talks in Washington earlier this year, Rutte explained, “There’s a lot of work going on so that when Ukraine enters into these bilateral talks or trilateral talks, they do so with unbreakable backing.” 

This backing, reports suggest, aims to “ensure that Russia will honour whatever deal is agreed, and will never threaten Ukrainian territory again after the deal.”

The NATO chief, however, added that “the bad news is we are still at the early stage of all of this.”

NATO Responds to Russian ‘Hybrid’ Threats

Addressing a suspected Russian GPS jamming incident that affected a plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Bulgaria, Rutte said NATO is taking this “very seriously” and is “stepping up” its response to hybrid and cyber threats.

“I always hated the word hybrid, because it sounds so cuddly, but hybrid is exactly this: jamming commercial aeroplanes with potentially disastrous effects,” The Guardian quoted Rutte as saying. 

Issuing a stark warning, Rutte added, “The threat from the Russians is increasing every day… The latest Russian missile technology… means we are all under direct threat from Russians.”

“We are all on the eastern flank now whether you live in London or in Tallinn… there is no difference any more.