Interfax: Russia not against Ukraine’s association with EU, would object to NATO membership – Putin

MOSCOW. Nov 21 (Interfax) – Russia is not against Ukraine becoming an associated EU member, but it would object if Ukraine decided to join NATO, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

“We are not against Ukraine’s sovereign choice, whatever it is. We are talking about something absolutely different. If we heard that Ukraine joins NATO, then we would really be against it,” Putin said at a meeting of the Russian Literary Assembly on Thursday.

The advance of NATO’s infrastructure closer to Russia’s borders poses certain danger to it, Putins aid. “Economic associations do not pose any danger in terms of the country’s defense capability. There are other threats,” he said.

Russia and Ukraine have an open market and zero export and import rates, but if Kyiv opens its market to the EU and sets zero rates on the same groups of goods, Russia will have to react, Putin said.

“We held negotiations with the WTO for 17 years and were bargaining on each position, and all of a sudden we hear ‘Your gates with Ukraine are open, and now Ukraine will open its gates to Europe’,” Putin said.

Russia will have to protect its economy, and this is its only motive, Putin said.

The accusations that Russia is pursuing “an aggressive policy” concerning Ukraine’s association agreement with the EU are “an unscrupulous approach to judging about our position,” he said.