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Russia finds it worrisome EU becomes annex to NATO — deputy foreign minister

The alliance is completely losing strategic independence, Andrey Rudenko underscored

NIZHNI NOVGOROD, May 17. /TASS/. Russia finds it worrisome the European Union is forming a military component and being turned into an annex to NATO, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko told the media on Tuesday.

"The direction in which the EU is moving cannot but alarm us. Firstly, it is forming a military component. Secondly, it obviously becomes an annex to the North Atlantic alliance," he said. Rudenko remarked that NATO, "despite all of its statements is completely losing strategic independence."

In that connection, he said, Ukraine’s hypothetical admission to the European Union aroused many questions.

"First and foremost, it is the European Union’s decision. We have nothing to do with it," he added.

Earlier, Russia’s first deputy ambassador to the UN, Dmitry Polyansky, said that Moscow’s attitude to Kiev’s wish to join the European Union was now close to its attitude to Kiev’s NATO ambitions.

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Ukraine Russian Foreign Ministry EU NATO

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