President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that the Western-backed military development of Ukraine posed a serious threat to Russia, two days after the U.S. defense secretary staged a show of support for Kyiv and encouraged its aspiration to join NATO.
Putin told a group of journalists and Russia experts that Tuesday's visit to Ukraine by Lloyd Austin, in which he said no third country had the right to veto its hoped-for NATO membership, had effectively paved the way for Kyiv to join."Formal membership in NATO may not take place, but military development of the territory is already under way," Putin told the Valdai Discussion Club. "And this really poses a threat to Russia. We are aware of that.
The Kremlin chief has consistently made clear that NATO membership for Ukraine - which shares close ties with Russia going back to ancient times - would be a red line for Moscow. He said talks between Moscow and Washington on strategic stability and cybersecurity were moving in the right direction, and that a summit between the two men in Geneva in June had been productive.
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