MOSCOW, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that U.S. President Donald Trump considers the issue of Ukraine joining NATO closed.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Ukraine's accession to NATO will create threats to Russia and will not increase Ukraine's own security. Putin also previously emphasised that this threat was one of the reasons for the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
"Trump said, first, to forget even about trying to drag Ukraine into the North Atlantic Alliance. He said this was clear long before Putin's statements. The issue is closed, and there is no need to try to stir it up," Lavrov said on a TV program.
Russia is ready to continue talks with the United States about Ukraine, he said. "They acknowledge the basic things and try to be useful around them. I believe this deserves support."
Lavrov added that Russia's discussions with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow are based on Trump's position of not bringing Ukraine into NATO and recognizing the realities on the ground. ■