Kremlin: Possible NATO membership for Ukraine won't boost stability

Published Mon, Jul 10 20178:15 AM EDT

Key Points

Kremlin claims that Ukraine's moves to join NATO would not improve stability or security in Europe.
Ukraine's prime minister says reforms will be made to enable the country to join by 2020.

Moscow, with the Kremlin in the background.

Alexander Zemlianichenko | AP

The Kremlin said on Monday that Ukraine's potential membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) would not boost stability and security in Europe.

Ukraine and NATO will begin discussions on a roadmap to get Ukraine into NATO, with Kiev pledging to make the necessary reforms by 2020, President Petro Poroshenko said earlier on Monday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also commented on a statement from NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg who said Russia had to withdraw thousands of its troops from Ukraine. Peskov said Russia did not have any troops in Ukraine.