Putin says Russia does not oppose Ukraine joining EU

Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Moscow had never opposed Ukraine's potential membership of the European Union, and that he thought it was possible to find a consensus on ensuring the security of both Russia and Ukraine.

During his visit to China, Putin dismissed European leaders’ claims that Russia might one day advance further into Europe as “hysteria” and “horror stories.”

Putin said that in 2022, Russia was compelled to respond to what he described as the West’s attempt, aided by NATO, to bring the entire post-Soviet space under its influence, citing security concerns for Moscow.

"As for Ukraine's membership of the EU, we have never objected to this," Putin told Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico at talks in China. "As for NATO, this is another issue."

Putin said that he had discussed Ukraine's security at his 15 August summit in Alaska with U.S. President Donald 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."

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