The Kremlin stated on Monday that the position of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, which excludes the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO, is satisfying to Moscow. However, it declined to comment on Trump’s hopes for a peace deal this week.
U.S. envoy for Ukraine and Russia, General Keith Kellogg, said on Sunday that NATO membership was “off the table” for Ukraine. Trump previously claimed that U.S. support for Ukraine’s NATO bid was a main cause of the war.
“We have heard from Washington at various levels that Ukraine’s NATO membership is excluded,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “Of course, this is something pleasing and aligns with our position,” Reuters reported.
Peskov added that Ukrainian membership in the U.S.-led alliance would threaten Russia’s interests.
“In fact, this is one of the main reasons for this conflict.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin sees the war as a defining moment in Moscow’s relationship with the West, which he claims humiliated Russia after the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991 by expanding NATO and encroaching on what he considers Moscow’s sphere of influence.
At the 2008 Bucharest summit, NATO leaders agreed that Ukraine and Georgia would one day become members. In 2019, Ukraine amended its Constitution to commit to full NATO and EU membership.
