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Russian diplomat slams NATO official’s remark on Ukraine accession as bogus

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told TASS earlier that any conflict settlement requires confirming the fundamentals of Ukraine’s sovereignty — its neutral, off-bloc, and non-nuclear status

MOSCOW, August 16. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova rebuffed a senior NATO official’s statement on potential Ukrainian membership as a bogus story.

The Russian diplomat commented on a recent remark by Stian Jenssen, director of the Private Office of the NATO Secretary General, who said that Ukraine could become a NATO member if it ceded some of its territory to Russia.

"This is a bogus story that has certain political goals," Zakharova told Sputnik Radio.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told TASS earlier that any conflict settlement requires confirming the fundamentals of Ukraine’s sovereignty — its neutral, off-bloc, and non-nuclear status. Apart from that, in his words, it is necessary to "recognize the new territorial realities, ensure Ukraine’s demilitarization and denazification, the rights of its Russian-speaking citizens and national minorities in line with international law."

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Foreign policy Ukraine NATO Maria Zakharova

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