In an interview with the state-run TASS news agency on Thursday, Russia claimed that the accession of its former Soviet neighbor to NATO will trigger a third global war as the conflict in Ukraine intensifies.
Alexander Venediktov, deputy secretary of the Russian security council, described Ukraine’s request for fast-track NATO membership as “more of a propaganda move” and claimed that Kiev is “fully aware” that such a move would result in a “certain escalation to World War III.”
In order to generate informational noise and bring attention to themselves once more, Venediktov continued, “Apparently, that’s what they are depending on.”
The source reaffirmed Russia’s position that the West is demonstrating its involvement in the crisis by assisting Ukraine.
According to Venediktov, NATO members are aware of the “suicidal nature” of the action of taking Ukraine under their wing.
In any case, he continued, “Russia’s position is unchanged: We reject Ukraine’s membership in NATO or any other alliances established by the United States.
At the end of September, just after his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin held a ceremony to annex four regions of the country, conflict-torn east Europe, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared his country’s intention to apply for fast-track NATO membership.
Venediktov made his statement a few hours after Iranian-manufactured kamikaze drones struck the Kyiv region, the capital of Ukraine, early on Thursday morning, prompting emergency personnel to rush to the scene. The assaults come shortly after new Russian bombardment in recent weeks that caused a number of injuries around Ukraine.