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Current nature of NATO eliminates possibility of Russia’s membership, says senior diplomat

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko reminded that when Russia had offered to join NATO, it had also offered to sign an agreement on collective security in Europe, with its potential NATO membership contributing to this collective European security

MOSCOW, July 22. /TASS/. The current nature of NATO eliminates the possibility of Russia forming part of the alliance, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said in an interview with TASS First Deputy Director General Mikhail Gusman.

"This is not about Russia joining [the alliance], this is about the nature of this organization. The current nature of the organization rules out such prospects," he said in response to a question about the possibility of Russia forming part of NATO.

"But if something unthinkable happens and if members of the alliance realize that the NATO created in 1949 and its statutes no longer function, that it does not meet real security requirements, that it is impossible to facilitate Western hegemony through NATO, that NATO does not work as a connecting link uniting the Transatlantic and that something pan-European can be built based on it, then we will be able to dream about this," Grushko said.

The diplomat reminded that when Russia had offered to join NATO, it had also offered to sign an agreement on collective security in Europe, with its potential NATO membership contributing to this collective European security.

The deputy foreign minister noted that it would not be right for Russia to join an organization of an anti-Russian nature.

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