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Ukraine’s chances of joining NATO, EU very slim — Russian lawmaker

According to the lawmaker, "everyone in the alliance understands that Ukraine has nothing to give it besides problems"

© Anton Novoderzhkin/TASS

MOSCOW, June 1. /TASS/. Ukraine has almost no chances of joining either the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) or the European Union despite President Petro Poroshenko’s efforts, a senior Russian lawmaker said.

"Poroshenko is ready to do everything to join NATO," Alexei Pushkov, the chair of the State Duma’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, said in an interview with Russia’s Izvestia daily. "Ukraine, however, has almost no chances at all."

According to the lawmaker, "everyone in the [NATO] alliance understands that Ukraine has nothing to give it besides problems. Kiev will be only demanding and requesting."

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In particular, he said, Ukraine will be keep insisting that NATO spend big money on the deployment of its military bases in the former Soviet republic and most of Europe is against it.

"Europe does not want the alliance having a member, which declares itself in the state of war against Russia," Pushkov said.

Partners in Paris, Berlin and other European capitals assured me, he said, "that there will be membership for Ukraine neither in NATO nor in the EU in the nearest future."

"Even Poland does not believe that such membership is possible. It [membership] aggravates direct political and military confrontation with Russia," Pushkov said adding that the Unites States at the same time is afraid that Ukraine’s membership may lead to the split in NATO on this issue and it would consequently decrease US influence in the alliance.

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