Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during celebrations marking the Day of St. Cyril and Methodius, founders of the Cyrillic alphabet, in downtown St. Petersburg, Russia, on May 24, 2014.ST. PETERSBURG, Russia – President Vladimir Putin accused the West on Saturday of ignoring Russia’s interests in Ukraine, in particular by leaving open the possibility that Ukraine could one day join NATO.
“Where is the guarantee that, after the forceful change of power, Ukraine will not tomorrow end up in NATO?” Putin told senior representatives of major international news agencies, including The Associated Press.
“We hear only one answer, as if on a record: Every nation has a right to determine on its own the security system in which it wants to live, and that doesn’t concern you,” he said.
Weighing into the topic of Ukraine one day before it holds a presidential election that the West hopes will be a step toward resolving the crisis, Putin accused Western politicians of dallying with a distant country and not taking into account how important Ukraine is to Russia’s security and economic interests.
Pro-Russia armed separatists in the east of Ukraine have threatened to block the presidential vote, which was called after the Russia-leaning president fled in February following months of street protests.