Ukraine has the right to take care of its own security, but not at the expense of Russia. Ukraine's possible NATO membership creates a security threat for Russia, and one of the reasons for launching the Russian "operation" in Ukraine was precisely the threat of Ukraine joining NATO, the Russian president declared on Thursday.

"As for Ukraine's membership in NATO, we have repeatedly said that this is a clear threat to Russia's security," Vladimir Putin emphasized to Pavel Zarubin of Rossiya 1 television in Moscow. Kremlin. In an interview given to the creator of his Putin magazine show. "Essentially, one of the reasons for the special military operation was the threat of Ukraine joining NATO," he added.

President Putin also expressed his opinion in an interview broadcast on the Rossiya 24 news channel that Ukraine's possible NATO membership will not increase Ukraine's security, but will make the world much more vulnerable and cause further tension on the international stage.

The Russian president also spoke about Western weapons given to Ukraine. As he said, they saw how high hopes were placed for longer-range missiles.

"Yes, they cause damage, but they do not change anything in the combat situation, they only intensify the confrontation, above all to the detriment of the Ukrainian side"

he added.

As he said, Ukrainian soldiers are afraid to use Western tanks because they know that they are a priority target for Russian forces.

"I can tell you that Ukrainian soldiers often refuse to sit in these tanks, because they are our priority targets, which are among the first to be destroyed on the battlefield"

- explained Putin, who said that this is a less pleasant situation. "They burn just as well as all the others, and maybe even better than the well-known Soviet-made T-72s," he added.

He also spoke about Ukraine's right to take care of its own security, but not at the expense of Russia. "Any country has the right to guarantee its own security and, of course, to choose at its own discretion how to achieve this goal," the Russian president declared. However, he stated: the only limitation of this is that the achievement of security cannot appear as a threat to another country.

He recalled that the Istanbul draft agreement between Moscow and Kyiv contained detailed security guarantees for Ukraine. As he said

Moscow considered the document acceptable as a whole, but the Kyiv leadership threw it in the trash.

Putin also stated that Russia may suspend its participation in the Black Sea grain agreement. The agreement expires again on July 17. Regarding the possible extension, he emphasized that this will happen if the part of the agreement concerning Russia is fulfilled.

He said: Moscow is ready to wait, but it is no longer satisfied with the solution that first the extension, then the fulfillment of the promises. "First, the fulfillment of promises, then our participation," the Russian president stated.

MTI

Photo: MTI/AP/RIA Novostyi/Ramil Sitdikov