Russia says peace in Ukraine is impossible if Kyiv gets NATO membership

Locals stand at the site of a Russian drone strike, amid Russia鈥檚 attack on Ukraine, in the city of Chornomorsk, Odesa region on Oct. 8, 2024. (Reuters)
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  • Putin has said peace talks can only begin if Kyiv agrees to abandon large swaths of territory claimed by Moscow and drops its bid to join NATO

MOSCOW: Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday that achieving a just peace in Ukraine would be impossible if Kyiv lost its neutrality by joining a bloc such as the US-led NATO military alliance.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said peace talks can only begin if Kyiv agrees to abandon large swaths of territory claimed by Moscow and drops its bid to join NATO.
Zakharova, speaking about reports that the West was discussing an option in which Ukraine could join NATO in return for accepting Russian control over a swathe of Ukrainian territory, said that achieving a just peace in Ukraine would be impossible without ensuring that Ukraine鈥檚 status was neutral and non-aligned.
Zakharova said that what Moscow calls the 鈥渟pecial military operation鈥� in Ukraine was a reaction to NATO鈥檚 eastward expansion.