Russia Confirms Attack On Ukraine To Prevent The Country From Joining NATO

JAKARTA - The Russian government on Thursday said that preventing Ukraine from joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) remains one of the main objectives of "special military operations" in Ukraine, which is entering its 14th month.

"Otherwise, it would pose a serious and significant threat to our country," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed, in a press briefing as reported by Antara.

Western analysts say when Russia launched the war in February 2022, Ukraine did not want to join the alliance at all. Last September, Ukraine officially applied for NATO membership, although it was not clear when or whether it would be accepted.

Peskov also mentioned the visit of NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg to Kiev saying that the Kremlin -as the Russian President's office - has no assessment of the prospect of joining Ukraine to NATO.

On Thursday morning, Stoltenberg arrived in Kiev on a surprise visit, said Oleksify Goncharenko, a Ukrainian lawmaker.

The visit was Stoltenberg's first visit to Ukraine since the Russo-Ukrainian war began in February last year.