Russia warns of World War 3 if NATO admits Ukraine

(Dan Tri) - Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev warned that Ukraine joining NATO could lead to World War 3.

Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev (Photo: Tass).

"Just before his death, in his twilight years, former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger emphasized, in a way that was both sweet and bitter: now we have no other choice but to accept Ukraine into NATO," Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said on November 1.

Former President Medvedev warned that NATO's admission of Ukraine into the alliance could lead to World War 3.

"I believe he was mistaken about that. This is not inevitable. Because, the choice between some promises and the possibility of starting World War 3, that is a quite clear choice," Mr. Medvedev emphasized.

Russia has so far viewed NATO's expansion toward its borders as an existential threat.

Moscow also believes that Russia is confronting not only Ukraine but also the West. Russia considers the West, including NATO member states, to have become a de facto belligerent party by continuing to supply weapons to Ukraine.

Ukraine has long pursued the goal of becoming a member of the NATO alliance. Kiev even included it in its constitution. Ukraine formally applied for NATO membership in September 2022, seven months after Russia began its special military operation.

NATO has pledged to bring Ukraine into the alliance since 2008, ignoring Russian warnings that Moscow viewed the proposal as a major threat to its national security. According to Russian officials, the conflict in Ukraine erupted in large part because the military bloc sought to incorporate Kiev.

Although former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and several members of the alliance agree that Ukraine will one day become part of NATO, Kiev has not been given a specific timetable for joining. The main reason for this impasse is the unresolved Russia-Ukraine conflict.

In April, President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted that Ukraine would not be able to join NATO until the conflict with Russia ended.

Mr Zelensky also claimed that a formal invitation to join NATO was the "only way" for Ukraine to survive Russia's offensive and that the move would force Russian leader Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table.

As Moscow makes advances on the battlefield, some Western media outlets and officials have suggested that Ukraine should make territorial concessions to Russia in exchange for security guarantees.

Ukraine has repeatedly rejected any proposal beyond a return to the 1991 borders, which Russia considers an illusion. Moscow has demanded that Kiev acknowledge the loss of five regions that joined Russia after referendums and commit to maintaining military neutrality as a condition for a ceasefire.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/nga-canh-bao-the-chien-3-neu-nato-ket-nap-ukraine-20241102083151573.htm