MOSCOW, August 10. /TASS/. The creation of the NATO-Ukraine Council does not pose any new threats for Moscow as it represents "merely a change in signage," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin said in an interview with TASS.

"The creation of the NATO-Ukraine Council neither marks any fundamental changes nor poses any new threats for Russia. The move to establish such an institution to replace the previously existing commission of the same name is in fact merely a change in signage," he noted.

The senior diplomat pointed out that the creation of the council was aimed "at formally demonstrating at least some progress in the Ukrainian leadership’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations." "The decision made at the North Atlantic Alliance’s summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11-12 is a continuation of the NATO countries’ short-sighted and destructive policy aimed at using Kiev as a surrogate to serve the West’s interests in its standoff with our country," Galuzin maintained.

Recalling the pledge, announced at NATO’s Bucharest summit back in 2008, that Ukraine would someday "become an alliance member," Galuzin stressed that "the Kiev regime had placed great hopes" on the Vilnius meeting. According to the senior diplomat, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky was strenuously pushing NATO nations to make decisions ensuring that Kiev would be provided at least with so-called security guarantees, if not full-fledged NATO membership. However, Ukraine received neither from NATO at Vilnius. Moreover, the allies did not even set a timeframe for Ukraine’s accession to the bloc, the Russian deputy foreign minister pointed out.

NATO summit

NATO’s annual summit was held in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11-12. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated at the meeting that the bloc’s member states had made three steps toward Ukraine: waiving the traditional requirement of implementing a NATO Membership Action Plan especially for Kiev; approving a multi-year program of military assistance for Kiev; and authorizing the creation of the NATO-Ukraine Council. The summit’s communique said that NATO would send Ukraine an invitation to join the bloc once the allies had reached an agreement after all conditions were met.