MOSCOW, May 27 /TASS/. Attempts to build Ukraine’s defense industry into NATO structures have no chance to success, Alexander Grushko, Russia’s Permanent Representative to NATO, said in an interview aired by the Rossiya 24 TV news channel on Wednesday.
Grushko said that nothing would come of those plans especially after Ukraine had denounced the agreement on military cooperation with Russia.
"They will get the bits of what it [Ukraine’s military and defense industry] once was," Grushko said.
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"The fact that made Ukraine’s military and defense sector strong was that it was closely linked to Russia’s defense industry," the Russian diplomat explained.
Grushko expressed his doubts over a possibility of using the production capacities of the Antonov aviation concern for NATO needs. "Western countries have recently launched programmes of retooling their parks of planes. The United States, for example, is using 99% of home-made aircraft for this purpose," Russia’s Permanent Representative said.
Touching upon prospects of NATO membership for Ukraine and Georgia, Grushko said he did not think the idea would have many enthusiasts.
"The fundamental problem consists in the fact that the 2007 summit in Bucharest decided that Ukraine and Georgia would be NATO members," Grushko told Rossiya 24.
"When we talk to people who understand how the alliance passes its decisions, who understand of what they talk, they say that this scenario is practically impossible. Everybody understands that it’s going to plant such a strong "bomb’ under European security that it won’t be a picnic!" Grushko said.
"Therefore, I do not think there will be many enthusiasts who really think about the prospect of NATO membership for Georgia and Ukraine," Grushko stressed.
According to him, the Bucharest summit introduced "a colossal factor of uncertainty in the European equation." "We can see that some political forces continue playing this card at a certain stage," the diplomat added.
"We should certainly be vigilant and should have options for any scenarios. But I think that rational and right-minded people in Europe understand that this move would be fraught with serious consequences for European security," Grushko said.
Ukraine’s and Georgia’s admission to NATO to have negative consequences for European security
Grushko noted there would not be many enthusiasts who would like to see Ukraine and Georgia in NATO.
"The fundamental problem consists in the fact that the 2007 summit in Bucharest decided that Ukraine and Georgia would be NATO members," Grushko said in an interview aired by Rossiya 24 TV news channel.
"When we talk to people who understand how the alliance passes its decisions, who understand of what they talk, they say that this scenario is practically impossible. Everybody understands that it’s going to plant such a strong "bomb’ under European security that it won’t be a picnic!" Grushko said.
"Therefore, I do not think there will be many enthusiasts who really think about the prospect of NATO membership for Georgia and Ukraine," Grushko stressed.
According to him, the Bucharest summit introduced "a colossal factor of uncertainty in the European equation." "We can see that some political forces continue playing this card at a certain stage," the diplomat added.
"We should certainly be vigilant and should have options for any scenarios. But I think that rational and right-minded people in Europe understand that this move would be fraught with serious consequences for European security," Grushko said.
Turning Arctic into area of military confrontation
He also spoke against turning the Arctic into an area of military confrontation.
Prospects of turning the Arctic into an area of military confrontation do not meet the interests of regional states, Grushko said in an interview with Rossiya 24.
"If we talk seriously about the situation in the Arctic, there is no need for NATO’s military presence there today. All the problems which exist there now should be solved by within the framework of international law," the diplomat stressed.
"Besides, there are bodies and organizations, including the Arctic Council, where cooperation develops on an absolutely clear and transparent basis and where countries of the Arctic region jointly search for common spheres of interest," Grushko said adding that "healthy forces, who should understand that turning the Arctic into an area of military confrontation contradicts the interests of regional states, should prevail in NATO."