MOSCOW, April 4 (RIA Novosti) - Ukraine should refrain from seeking NATO membership, Jan van Aken, a German lawmaker and member of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Bundestag, told RIA Novosti on Thursday.
"Ukraine should not become part of NATO," said van Aken, commenting on a statement recently made by German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
Steinmeier addressed his French and Polish counterparts in Weimar on Tuesday, where he spoke of the importance of establishing healthy diplomatic grounds for negotiations with Ukraine, but claimed he does not see a way for the country to become a NATO member.
Van Aken, a member of the Left Party, said the possibility of a further escalation of tensions between Russia and the West, including economic sanctions and trade in natural gas, would depend on the next steps taken by both sides.
"If Russia continues with its aggressive foreign policy, or if Germany and the West continue with their confrontational approach, the situation might escalate, with negative economic consequences for both sides," van Aken added.
Tensions between Russia and the West became strained after a regime change in February when the Ukrainian parliament ousted President Victor Yanukovych and announced early presidential elections for May 25.
Russia has described the uprising in Kiev as an illegitimate fascist coup and a military seizure of power, which resulted in Moscow taking steps to protect ethnic Russians in Ukraine and reunify with Crimea following a referendum in the region.
The steps were heavily criticized by the US and EU, who imposed sanctions against several Russian officials and suspended cooperation in certain areas. Moscow has described these measures as "counterproductive."
