Russia not opposed to Ukraine joining EU —Putin

By Nkiruka Nnorom

Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has said Moscow was not opposed to Ukraine’s potential membership of the European Union, EU.

He, however, reiterated his already known stance that Kyiv joining North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO, was an unacceptable prospect for Moscow.

Putin’s comments came as the US grows frustrated with Moscow’s lack of engagement in the US-led peace efforts.

US President Donald Trump said after his summit with Mr Putin in Alaska last month that he thought the Russian leader was “tired” of the war in Ukraine but noted that it remained to be seen if peace could be secured to end the conflict.

Kyiv and the leaders of Western European powers had said they do not believe Putin was serious about peace in Ukraine, and have warned that if Russia wins the Ukraine war, Putin could attack Europe and the US-led NATO military alliance.

In some of his most dovish remarks at the Shangai Cooperation Organisation, SCO, summit in Beijing, Putin pushed back against those claims, which he cast as “horror stories” and “hysteria” pumped up by incompetent people seeking to cast Russia as an enemy.

He claimed Russia had been forced to act in Ukraine by what he called the West’s attempt with the help of NATO to try to absorb the entire post-Soviet space.

“As for Ukraine’s membership of the EU, we have never objected to this,” the Russian president told Slovak Prime Minister, Robert Fico, at talks in China.

“As for NATO, this is another issue… Our position here is well known: we consider this unacceptable for ourselves.”

A potential security guarantee for Ukraine backed by the US and Western European powers is one of the toughest parts of any future peace settlement, according to diplomats and officials involved in discussions.

Ukraine said that it is not for Russia to decide what Kyiv can or cannot join, while NATO said that Russia can have no veto over membership of the alliance which was formed in 1949 to counter the threat from the Soviet Union.

Putin said he had discussed Ukraine’s security at his August 15 summit with Mr Trump.

“There are options for ensuring Ukraine’s security in the event of an end to the conflict,” Putin said.

“And it seems to me that there is an opportunity to find consensus here.”

Putin said Russia was ready to cooperate with the US at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest nuclear plant in Europe.

Russia took control of it in March 2022, shortly after its invasion of Ukraine.

“We can cooperate with American partners at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant,” Putin said, adding that the issue had been discussed indirectly with Washington and that he was even prepared to work with Ukraine at the plant.

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