Putin: Ukraine in NATO Will Create Threat for Russia, Won't Increase Own Security

Zelensky said in early June that Kiev hoped to receive a clear invitation to join the bloc at the Vilnius summit. He also said Kiev was disappointed that it had not yet received a clear positive response about joining both the European Union and NATO.

Ukraine’s possible membership in NATO will create a security threat for Russia and will not increase Ukraine's own security situation, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.

"As for Ukraine's membership in NATO, we have repeatedly spoken about this, this creates threats to Russia's security. Obviously. And as a matter of fact, the reason for the special military operation, one of the reasons, is the threat of Ukraine's entry into NATO. I am sure that this will not increase the security of Ukraine itself," Putin said.

Ukraine has a right to have security guarantees but they should not create security threats to other nations, the Russian president highlighted. At the same time, Putin mentioned that Russia is not against discussing security guarantees for Ukraine.

"Now about security. We have said many times that any country has the right to ensure its security. And of course, it has the right to choose the way to achieve this goal, which it considers the most correct for itself. There is only one limitation. It is connected with the fact that achieving the security of one country should not create a threat to another country," Putin said.

On June 13 it was reported that NATO leaders urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to "cool down" during their joint dinner in Vilnius after he voiced harsh criticism of the alliance and accused it of being indecisive when it came to Kiev's membership. In particular, Zelensky said that it was "unprecedented and absurd" that a time frame was set "neither for the invitation nor for Ukraine's membership."

Later, during the dinner on the sidelines of the NATO summit, Zelensky was told that he had gone too far and advised to look at the full package of NATO commitments to Kiev, a person present at the dinner was cited as saying by US media.

According to the source, the US delegation was "irritated" by Zelensky's comments, UK representatives were looking for ways to alleviate tensions, while the Germans were trying to find alternatives to resolve the situation.

Speaking about Western missiles and tanks supplied to Ukraine, Putin noted that they cause damage but do not pose a critical threat in the combat zone.

“As for the supply of weapons, various weapons, we see how many hopes were placed on the supply of missiles with a sufficiently long range. Well, yes, they cause damage, but nothing critical happens in the combat zone with the use of missiles. The same goes for foreign-made tanks, infantry fighting vehicles,” Putin said on air at the Rossiya 24 broadcaster.

The president added that 311 pieces of military equipment used by Ukraine has been destroyed since June 4, and at least one third of those were Western-made.

“I can tell you that Ukrainian servicemen often refuse to even get into these tanks, because they are a priority target for our guys,” Putin said, adding that foreign tanks “burn better” than the Soviet-made ones.

Russia May Suspend Participation in Grain Deal Before Conditions Fulfilled

Moscow is considering an option of suspending participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative until conditions that concern Russia are fulfilled, President Putin said.

He told reporters that "nothing was done" for Russia within the framework of the grain deal, as the agreement benefited only the other side.

“We may suspend our participation in this deal. If everyone once again says that all the promises made to us will be fulfilled, well, let them fulfill this promise, and we will immediately join this deal, again,” Putin said.

The president also said that Russia will think about the extension of the grain deal as "there are still few days left" before the July 17 deadline.

Russia, Ukraine, Turkiye and the United Nations reached an agreement on July 22, 2022, to provide a safe humanitarian maritime corridor for vessels carrying food and fertilizer exports from Black Sea ports.

Russia has criticized the implementation of the agreement, saying the majority of the exports ended up in the countries of the collective West and only a small amount in the Global South. In addition, Russia has complained the agreement was not implemented fully since Western sanctions against Russia were not removed for exports of Russian grain and fertilizer.

On May 18, 2023, Russia extended the agreement for an additional 60 days until July 17. However, Moscow has repeatedly warned it will not extend the agreement if not implemented in full.