Russia says issue of Ukraine’s non-accession to NATO requires ‘special discussion’

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russia on Monday said that the issue of Ukraine’s non-accession to NATO requires “special attention.”

“Naturally, this issue is a key one, and it deserves special consideration compared to the others,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a press briefing, saying that this is what ongoing negotiations for a peace settlement in Ukraine are about.

Peskov’s remarks come a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in comments to journalists, called bilateral security guarantees with the US, Europe, and other countries a “compromise” in lieu of Ukraine’s NATO accession.

Zelenskyy’s statements mark a major shift in Kyiv’s approach to membership in the alliance, an ambition that was enshrined in Ukraine’s Constitution following a parliamentary vote to introduce constitutional amendments back in 2019.

Russia has voiced fierce opposition to Ukraine’s accession to NATO, with President Vladimir Putin calling such a step a "direct threat" to Moscow's security just days before the start of the war in February 2022.

Speaking about meetings being held in Berlin on a possible Ukraine peace deal, Peskov also said Washington is not actively updating Moscow on the progress of the talks but that it is awaiting a response from the American side after their conclusion.

On Sunday, Zelenskyy, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and unofficial aide Jared Kushner, and delegations from both countries held talks that lasted over five hours. The talks resumed on Monday, according to state news agency Ukrinform, citing a source in Ukraine's delegation.

The meetings are the latest in a series of talks focused on a peace framework to end the over three-and-a-half-year Russia-Ukraine war, with earlier consultations held in Switzerland and the US, in addition to other diplomatic efforts in Istanbul.

Germany hosted the consultations ahead of a broader summit expected on Monday evening bringing together the Ukrainian president, European leaders, and representatives from the EU and NATO. It remains unclear whether US officials will participate in that meeting.