Russia: "NATO tries to pull Ukraine into alliance"... Ukraine: "Withdraw troops"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Amid growing concerns over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Minister claimed that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is trying to bring Ukraine into its alliance. Ukraine urged Russia to withdraw its troops from the border and called for continued dialogue with the West.

According to The Guardian and others on the 30th (local time), Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with state television that "Today, the Foreign Ministry will send formal letters to NATO and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)." He added, "The content of the letters will ask how they intend to fulfill the promise not to strengthen their security at the expense of others' security."

Minister Lavrov explained, "If they have no intention of doing so, they must explain the reasons. This issue will play a key role in determining our proposal to report to President Vladimir Putin in the future." He continued, "Russia seeks legally binding security guarantees, not just simple promises from the West," emphasizing, "This will ensure not only Russia's legitimate interests but also the safety of the entire European continent."

In response to Russia's remarks, Ukraine emphasized troop withdrawal. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stated on Twitter that "If Russian officials genuinely do not want a new war, they should continue diplomatic dialogue and withdraw troops from the Ukrainian border and the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories."

Russia demands that the West prohibit Ukraine's NATO membership, but the United States and NATO have stated they cannot accept this. NATO was established during the Cold War to counter the Soviet Union, and after the Soviet collapse, countries such as the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania joined as members. Russia has strongly opposed NATO's acceptance of former communist Eastern European countries as members, calling it an act that threatens Russia's security.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.