Putin: Russia will be dragged into war if Ukraine joins NATO

 

Russian President Putin warns Ukraine's accession to NATO could embolden Kiev to reclaim control over Moscow-annexed Crimea or areas ruled by separatists, sucking Moscow into the conflict.

President Vladimir Putin has accused the US and its NATO allies of ignoring Russia's top security demands, warning Ukraine, once becoming a member of NATO, could try to reclaim lost territories from separatist rebels, sucking Moscow into the war.

"Imagine that Ukraine becomes a NATO member and launches those military operations," Putin said on Tuesday. "Should we fight NATO then? Has anyone thought about it?"

Putin charged that while the US airs concerns about Ukraine's security, it is using the ex-Soviet country as an "instrument" in its efforts to contain Russia.

He said that Washington may try to "draw us into a military conflict and force its allies in Europe to impose the tough sanctions the US is talking about now."

Another possible option would be to "draw Ukraine into NATO, deploy offensive weapons there" and encourage Ukrainian nationalists to use force to reclaim the rebel-held east or Crimea, "drawing us into a military conflict," Putin claimed.

Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014 following the ouster of the country's Moscow-friendly president and later threw its weight behind rebels in Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland, triggering a conflict that has killed over 14,000 people.

Russia’s President Putin on Ukraine joining NATO:

- Russia's security proposals have been ignored by West,

- Wrong to allow one country to increase its security at the expense of another country pic.twitter.com/JaMCyfManv

— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) February 1, 2022

More diplomacy

Tuesday's comments were his first on the standoff in more than a month which also suggested a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine may not be imminent and that at least one more round of diplomacy with the US is likely.

Yet the two sides remain unyielding in their main positions, and there was little apparent hope for concessions. 

Russia is expected to respond soon to a US proposal for negotiations on lesser Russian demands after which Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will speak.

Lavrov and Blinken spoke on Tuesday and reiterated positions put forward by Putin and President Joe Biden. The White House said Biden and Putin could also speak once the US receives Russia’s response.

Possible to negotiate end to standoff 

Speaking after talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban, who has forged closer ties with Moscow, Putin noted that it's still possible to negotiate a settlement that would take every party's concerns into account.

“We need to find a way to ensure interests and security of all parties, including Ukraine, European nations and Russia," Putin said, emphasising that the West needs to treat Russian proposals seriously to make progress.

Putin said the Kremlin is still studying the US and NATO's response to the Russian security demands received last week. 

But he said it was clear that the West has ignored Russian demands that NATO not expand to Ukraine and other ex-Soviet nations, refrain from deploying offensive weapons near Russia and roll back its deployments to Eastern Europe.

Russia has amassed over 100,000 troops along the border of Ukraine, fuelling fears of an invasion. It has denied any intention to attack.

Washington and its allies have rejected Moscow's key demands. They emphasise that Ukraine, like any other nation, has the right to choose alliances, although it is not a NATO member now and is unlikely to join any time soon.