Kremlin names key issue in talks with Ukraine
Photo: Dmitry Peskov (Getty Images)
The Kremlin has stated that Ukraine's refusal to join NATO and the document that will formalize this decision are among the key issues, according to Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov.
Responding to a question about who Russia would expect to provide a document legally binding Ukraine not to join NATO, Peskov noted that this aspect of the peace talks is one of the cornerstones.
"And that is why it (the issue – ed.) is subject to special discussion against the backdrop of the main ones. This is the negotiation process, which, I would like to emphasize once again, we do not want to conduct in a megaphone format," adds Putin's spokesperson.
Ukraine's accession to NATO
Ukraine expected to receive an official invitation to NATO at the summit in Washington in July 2024, but this did not happen.
Talks about Ukraine's accession to NATO began with renewed vigor after the US proposed its peace plan to resolve the war in Ukraine.
At the same time, it recently became known that Ukraine may be denied the path to NATO membership after a series of agreements between the Alliance member states and Russia. One of the most problematic aspects of the initial US peace proposal was the provision that Ukraine must officially renounce its desire to join NATO.
US President Donald Trump also noted that the understanding that Ukraine would not join NATO had been formed long before Vladimir Putin began talking about it.
At the same time, according to media reports, the US presidential administration is ready to provide Ukraine with legally binding security guarantees based on Article 5 of the NATO Charter.
