The US administration categorically refuses to listen to the statements of the Russian Federation about rejecting Ukraine's membership in NATO. This is what the Russian ambassador to the USA Anatoly Antonov said, answering a question from the media, TASS reported.
„Washington basically refuses to listen to our statements about the categorical rejection of Kyiv's membership in the North Atlantic Alliance, and this is despite specific proposals from the Russian side for security guarantees sent to Western capitals in December 2021,”, Antonov stressed. , quoted by the press service of the Russian diplomatic mission. He noted that the “exaggeration of American claims about Ukraine's membership in the alliance” only confirms that “the only correct option for us is the unconditional victory of the Russian armed forces on the battlefield”.
"Ukraine's entry into NATO is unacceptable for us under any circumstances, it is a threat to Russia's national security," Antonov stressed. According to him, “only politicians who absolutely do not understand the principled positions of the Russian Federation” can count on Moscow to accept Kiev's participation in a bloc hostile to it.
State Department press secretary Matthew Miller said at a regular briefing on Monday that Ukraine's entry into NATO could only happen after the end of the current conflict. Earlier, US Permanent Representative to NATO Julian Smith said that the alliance would admit Ukraine into its ranks “when the time comes”, only with the consent of all allies and after the end of hostilities. On February 13, Smith said the bloc would not extend an invitation to Ukraine to join its ranks at the July 9-11 summit in Washington.
In September 2022, Ukraine submitted an application for accelerated accession to the North Atlantic Alliance. NATO adopted the final statement from the Vilnius summit on July 11, 2023, in which it expressed confidence that the country's future lies in the alliance. An invitation to join NATO could be sent to Ukraine "when the allies reach an agreement and the conditions imposed on Kiev by the West are met," the document said. The likely time of acceptance was not announced. The organization has repeatedly emphasized that joining NATO is impossible while Ukraine is in a state of conflict.
The press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov earlier noted that Kiev is trying to put pressure on the NATO countries on the issue of receiving an invitation to the alliance. He warned that the eventual accession of Ukraine would have extremely negative consequences for European security and would require a firm response from Russia.