Photo: kremlin.ru
Putin commented on Ukraine’s plans to join NATO
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The Russian leader noted that if Ukraine becomes a NATO member, the flight time of the missile to Moscow will be reduced to 7-10 minutes.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, shortly before his meeting with American leaders Joe Biden, gave an interview to Russian television, in which a whole bloc concerned Ukraine, and in particular, the possible entry into NATO.
Thus, Putin said that there are no guarantees of Ukraine’s non-entry into the Alliance. At the same time, he doubted the sincerity of the US statements that they did not promise Ukraine membership. In fact, he called Ukraine’s entry into the Alliance a red line.
“Imagine that Ukraine will become a NATO member. The flight time of a rocket from Kharkov or Dnepropetrovsk to Moscow will decrease to 7-10 minutes. Is this a red line for us or not?” Putin said.
At the same time, the Russian president said that half of the Ukrainians allegedly do not want the country’s joining NATO, and “these are smart people, because they understand that they do not want to be in the line of fire, do not want to be a bargaining chip or cannon fodder.”
In addition, Putin expressed confidence that Ukraine is being made the antipode of Russia, and therefore “they prefer not to notice the swastikas with which they walk along the street.”
He also commented on the scandal with the uniform of the Ukrainian national team, saying that she did not hurt him, because “there is no novelty here, Kiev neglects the expression of the will of the residents of Crimea.”
The Russian president also spoke about the failed meeting with Zelensky. According to him, during the dialogue at the level of the presidential offices, Ukraine was invited to talk about international security. But “so many problems have accumulated in our bilateral relations that it would be necessary to talk about it.”
Putin also criticized Zelensky’s idea of excluding Russians from the indigenous peoples of Ukraine, because calling Russians a non-indigenous people of Ukraine is “ridiculous and stupid.” Putin said that Ukraine allegedly emerged as a product of the Soviet period. And he compared the idea of dividing the peoples of Ukraine into indigenous and non-indigenous to the ideas of Nazi Germany.
Commenting on the US refusal of sanctions on Nord Stream 2, Putin said that it was pointless for the US to resist further, since the first thread is ready.
Recall, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that US Supports Ukraine’s NATO Membership.
Earlier, NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Joana also said that there is no consensus in the Alliance according to the action plan for Ukraine and for upcoming summitscheduled for June 14, no decision will be made on it.
At the same time, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky urged to immediately resolve the issue about Ukraine’s accession to NATO, since the country’s independence is at stake.
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