MOSCOW. Feb 21 (Interfax) - Threats to Russia's security will increase dramatically if it sees Ukraine join NATO, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
"The use of Ukraine as an instrument for confrontation with our country, with Russia, is, of course, a serious, very big threat to us," Putin said at a meeting of the Russian Security Council on Monday.
"That is why we intensified work with our main partners in Washington and NATO in the past few months, in late 2021 to finally reach agreements on security measures and to ensure calm, stable development of the country in peaceful conditions," he said.
"It's task number one to us. It's a priority for our country - not confrontation, but ensuring security and conditions for development," Putin said.
"If Russia is faced with such a threat as the joining by Ukraine of the North Atlantic Alliance, NATO, the threats to our country will increase dramatically as there is Article 5 of the treaty on the creation of NATO, from which it is clear that all countries of the alliance need to fight on the side of one of its members in the event of any aggression against it," Putin said.
The Russian president also said that, "because no one recognizes the expression of the will of the people of Crimea and Sevastopol, Ukraine insists that it is its territory, we have a real threat that they will start fighting for this territory, which they consider to be theirs, militarily."
Putin said the Ukrainian authorities say that in their official documents, and "then the entire North Atlantic bloc will be obligated to get involved in these events."
"They are saying to us, and you know about it, that some NATO countries are against Ukraine's joining the alliance. Nevertheless, despite the fact that they are against it, a memorandum was signed in Bucharest in 2008 that opens the doors to NATO to Ukraine and Georgia," Putin said.
"My question as to why you did that went unanswered. Under pressure from the United States, that's the answer. But if they made one step under pressure from the U.S., we have no guarantees that they will not take a second step under pressure," Putin said.