Firm! Putin Calls Ukraine Accession To NATO A Threat To Russia's Security

Russian President Vladimir Putin. (PHOTO: RIA Novosti via kremlin.ru)

JAKARTA - Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that Ukraine's prospect of joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a "fundamental threat" to Russia's security.

While speaking with African leaders in St. Petersburg, Friday, Putin said the alliance's military infrastructure progress was "unacceptable."

Putin also emphasized the fate of conflict-torn countries, including Iraq, Libya, and Syria, which he said had been declared opponents by NATO member states.

"...for years, (West) has been preparing for a hybrid war with our country, making every effort to turn Ukraine into a tool to destabilize the security foundations of the Russian Federation, undermine Russia's position in the world and undermine our country," he said. from Antara, Sunday.

Putin said Ukraine's military developments peaked in 2014 as Western countries supported an armed and bloody coup in unconstitutional Ukraine.

At that time, former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, who was pro-Russia, was ousted by the people for his decision to refuse to join the European Union trade pact.

"(West) ignores all international legal norms and publicly, publicly says that they sponsored this coup, even mentioning the amount of money they spent on it," Putin said.

Putin also reminded again about the Declaration of Independence of Ukraine, which includes a clause on the country's status as a neutral country.

"In the declaration, it was written that Ukraine is a neutral country, and this is very important to us," he stressed.