Russia on demanded that NATO formally retract its 2008 commitment to grant Ukraine membership in the alliance. Moscow also dismissed any suggestion of NATO troops acting as peacekeepers, following talks with U.S. officials in Saudi Arabia.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz, and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff in Riyadh on Tuesday. Lavrov described the talks as “useful” but reiterated Russia’s stance on Ukraine’s NATO ambitions.
Moscow’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated that merely halting Ukraine’s NATO accession was not sufficient. She said NATO must formally rescind its 2008 Bucharest Summit declaration, where the alliance promised Ukraine and Georgia eventual membership but without a set timeline.
"A refusal to accept Kyiv into NATO is not enough now. The alliance must disavow the Bucharest promises of 2008," Zakharova said.
Lavrov also rejected the idea of NATO forces acting as peacekeepers in Ukraine, referring to a proposal by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to send European troops under a separate banner.
“The appearance of NATO forces under a false flag—whether EU or national—does not change anything. This is unacceptable to us,” Lavrov said.
The Bucharest declaration of 2008 was a compromise between the U.S., which backed Ukraine’s entry, and France and Germany, which feared antagonising Russia. Moscow has consistently cited NATO’s expansion as a key reason for its war in Ukraine.
While NATO insists it is a defensive alliance with no expansionist aims, Russia claims that Ukraine’s potential accession represents a direct threat to its sovereignty.
Zakharova also referred to Ukraine’s 1990 declaration of sovereignty, in which Kyiv pledged to remain neutral, avoid military blocs, and remain nuclear-free.
Ukraine gained full independence in 1991 and later agreed to give up its Soviet-era nuclear weapons in exchange for security assurances from Russia, the U.S., and the UK under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum.
The two-day Fintex Summit 2025 – Finance and Technologies Expo – has officially opened in Baku, bringing together key players from the financial and tech sectors to explore innovation, digitalisation, and regulatory trends.
Oil prices fell sharply for a second day after Israel confirmed a U.S.-brokered ceasefire with Iran, easing fears that the conflict would disrupt global energy supplies.
World leaders convened in the Netherlands on Tuesday for a pivotal two-day NATO summit that could see member states agree to a historic rise in defence spending—or expose sharp divisions within the 32-member alliance.
A deadly weekend attack on a hospital in Sudan claimed the lives of more than 40 people, including children and healthcare workers, drawing international condemnation.
U.S. President Donald Trump called for a major interest rate cut before Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s testimony to Congress.
President Ilham Aliyev today inaugurated Azerbaijan's largest power plant in Mingachevir, constructed in partnership with Italian and Chinese companies.
Floods triggered by relentless monsoon rains have forced people to evacuate across China's Guizhou province, with cities urging residents to flee rising waters as infrastructure collapses and warnings of more extreme weather loom.
The two-day Fintex Summit 2025 – Finance and Technologies Expo – has officially opened in Baku, bringing together key players from the financial and tech sectors to explore innovation, digitalisation, and regulatory trends.
Oil prices fell sharply for a second day after Israel confirmed a U.S.-brokered ceasefire with Iran, easing fears that the conflict would disrupt global energy supplies.
World leaders convened in the Netherlands on Tuesday for a pivotal two-day NATO summit that could see member states agree to a historic rise in defence spending—or expose sharp divisions within the 32-member alliance.
Iran launched 18 ballistic missiles late Sunday targeting the U.S. military’s Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest American installation in the Middle East.
Iranian missiles struck multiple locations across Israel and neighbouring regions early Friday morning, including a Microsoft office complex, according to emergency responders and local media reports.
A high-speed tram derailment in central Gothenburg, Sweden, has left at least eight people injured late on Thursday (19 June), after the vehicle slammed into a snack bar on Avenyn Avenue.
China has unveiled a mosquito-sized bionic drone designed for covert military operations and battlefield reconnaissance, marking a major advance in micro-robotics and stealth technology as part of the country’s growing focus on next-generation warfare capabilities.
Wizz Air has suspended all flights to and from Tel Aviv, Israel, and its European services to Amman, Jordan, effective immediately until 15 September due to escalating situation in the Middle East. Also, the air carrier temporarily suspended its flights between Astana, Kazakhstan, and Abu Dhabi.
The Netherlands will deliver a 100 drone-detection radars and 20 medical evacuation vehicles to Ukraine under a new €175 million ($202 million) military aid package, boosting its ongoing support for Kyiv ahead of the NATO summit this week.
A new MIT study has found that regular use of Artificial Intelligence tools such ChatGPT, may lower brain activity and diminish critical thinking, raising concerns about their growing role in education and professional life.
Floods triggered by relentless monsoon rains have forced people to evacuate across China's Guizhou province, with cities urging residents to flee rising waters as infrastructure collapses and warnings of more extreme weather loom.
World leaders convened in the Netherlands on Tuesday for a pivotal two-day NATO summit that could see member states agree to a historic rise in defence spending—or expose sharp divisions within the 32-member alliance.
A deadly weekend attack on a hospital in Sudan claimed the lives of more than 40 people, including children and healthcare workers, drawing international condemnation.
President Ilham Aliyev today inaugurated Azerbaijan's largest power plant in Mingachevir, constructed in partnership with Italian and Chinese companies.
Floods triggered by relentless monsoon rains have forced people to evacuate across China's Guizhou province, with cities urging residents to flee rising waters as infrastructure collapses and warnings of more extreme weather loom.
The two-day Fintex Summit 2025 – Finance and Technologies Expo – has officially opened in Baku, bringing together key players from the financial and tech sectors to explore innovation, digitalisation, and regulatory trends.
Oil prices fell sharply for a second day after Israel confirmed a U.S.-brokered ceasefire with Iran, easing fears that the conflict would disrupt global energy supplies.
World leaders convened in the Netherlands on Tuesday for a pivotal two-day NATO summit that could see member states agree to a historic rise in defence spending—or expose sharp divisions within the 32-member alliance.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment