Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova declared on Wednesday that achieving a just peace in Ukraine would be impossible if Kyiv loses its neutrality by joining a US-led NATO-like military bloc. The statement reinforces Russia’s position that Ukraine’s accession to the Western military alliance would be an inevitable obstacle to any peace talks.
According to Zakharova, “we cannot talk about peace in Ukraine if Kyiv abandons its neutral status and aligns itself with a military organization like NATO”. The stance, reiterated by Moscow, comes as the West debates a proposal to allow Ukraine to join NATO in exchange for accepting the loss of control over territories currently occupied by Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had already withdrawn its bid to join NATO and had stipulated that Kyiv relinquish vast swaths of territory claimed by Moscow and open peace talks. For Putin, any discussion about ending the conflict can only move forward if Ukraine recognizes the loss of territories Russia annexed or controls from the start of the so-called “special military operation” in 2022.
Russia has consistently argued that its military offensive in Ukraine is a direct response to NATO’s eastward expansion, which Moscow views as a threat to its security. Zakharova underlined this position, saying the Russian military action was a “necessary reaction to NATO’s advance towards Russia’s borders”. Moscow’s view is that the expansion of the Western alliance, which began after the fall of the Soviet Union, was a decisive factor in the rise in tensions in the region.
In recent years, Russia has repeatedly expressed its opposition to NATO expansion, particularly in the countries of the former Soviet sphere, which it considers necessary for its strategic security. Ukraine’s entry into the Western military alliance is seen by Moscow as a red line, the consequences of which will be dire for both European security and world peace.
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