Russia urges NATO to break promise to Ukraine as part of security package

Russia demanded that NATO rescind a 2008 commitment to Ukraine and Georgia that they would one day become members and said the alliance should promise not to deploy weapons in countries bordering Russia that could threaten its security.

The demands were spelt out by the Russian foreign ministry in its statement on the security guarantees that President Vladimir Putin says he wants to obtain from the United States and its allies.

"In the fundamental interests of European security, it is necessary to formally disavow the decision of the 2008 NATO Bucharest summit that 'Ukraine and Georgia will become NATO members'," reads the statement.

The demand for an effective Russian veto on NATO membership for Ukraine, the most volatile flashpoint in East-West relations, is something that Washington and Kyiv have already categorically ruled out.

The ministry said NATO was on a path to draw in Ukraine, leading to the deployment of missile systems there that would target Russia.

"Such irresponsible behavior creates unacceptable threats to our security and provokes serious military risks for all parties involved, right up to the point of a large-scale conflict in Europe. In the fundamental interests of European security, it is necessary to formally disavow the decision of the 2008 NATO Bucharest summit that 'Ukraine and Georgia will become NATO members,'" reads the statement.