MOSCOW
\nThe proposal that Ukraine could abandon its goal to join the US-led NATO military bloc would be a positive step toward reducing tensions between Moscow and Kiev, the Kremlin said on Monday.
\nRussian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said this while responding to a suggestion made by Ukraine\u2019s Ambassador to the UK Vadim Prystaiko, who on Sunday suggested that Kiev was considering ending its goal to join NATO as a way to \u201cavoid\u201d war.
\n\u201cA recorded refusal by Ukraine, a confirmed rejection of the idea of Ukraine joining NATO, is a step that would contribute significantly to the formulation of a more meaningful response to Russian concerns,\u201d Peskov said.
\nUkraine\u2019s accession into NATO has long been a red line for Moscow, which views eastward expansion of the military alliance as a threat to its own security. Last year, Russia proposed a treaty to both the US and NATO that would see the bloc\u2019s enlargement permanently stopped by a legally binding document.
\nKiev\u2019s goal to join NATO was enshrined in the country\u2019s constitution in 2019, and, therefore, Prystaiko\u2019s comments have taken everyone by surprise.
\nAsked by BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Stephen Nolan in an interview on Sunday if Ukraine might \u201ccontemplate not joining NATO\u201d to avoid a war, the ambassador responded: \u201cWe might, you know, especially [having] been threatened like that, blackmailed by that, and pushed to it.\u201d
\nAfter some backlash, he later walked back the statement. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, which suggested that the ambassador\u2019s words were \u201ctaken out of context.\u201d
\nDiscussion over Ukraine\u2019s future in the European security structure comes as Russia stands accused of placing more than 100,000 soldiers on the Ukrainian frontier, with some believing this is a sign of an impending military incursion. This claim has repeatedly been denied by the Kremlin.
\nAmbassador Vadym Prystaiko told the BBC that Ukraine was willing to be \u201cflexible\u201d over its goal to join the Atlantic military alliance, a move Russian President Vladimir Putin has said would be a trigger for war.
\nUkraine is not a NATO member but has a promise dating from 2008 that it will eventually be given the opportunity to join, a step that would bring the US-led alliance to Russia\u2019s border.
\nRussia has moved more than 100,000 troops and heavy weapons to within striking distance of Ukraine in recent weeks, prompting the United States and its NATO allies to warn that an invasion could be imminent.
\nMoscow denies it is planning an attack, calling the military manoeuvres exercises, but it has issued written demands that NATO forgo any further expansion eastwards including Ukraine. NATO members have rejected the demand.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MOSCOW The proposal that Ukraine could abandon its goal to join the US-led NATO military bloc would be a positive step toward reducing tensions between Moscow and Kiev, the Kremlin said on Monday. Russian President Vladimir Putin\u2019s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said this while responding to a suggestion made by Ukraine\u2019s Ambassador to the UK Vadim […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-244561","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-business"},"yoast_head":"\n