The White House believes that Russia does not have the authority to indicate to NATO who can be a member of the Alliance. White House spokesman Jen Psaki said this at a press briefing.
So, in his question, the journalist stressed that over the past few months Russia has made it quite clear what it expects from the US and NATO in terms of the military conflict in Donbass.
& # 8212; They need solid, legally binding security guarantees. They do not want NATO and Ukraine & # 8212; they don't want to see a military build-up. And they do not want Ukraine to become a NATO member, the journalist noted.
In response, Jen Psaki said that it is not for Russia to decide who will be a NATO member.
& # 8212; Well, NATO member states decide who will be a NATO member, not Russia. The process has always been and will be in the future, – said Psaki.
According to her, it is important to remember where the escalation is coming from at the moment.
& # 8212; This is not the United States. This is not Ukraine, the White House spokeswoman concluded.
When asked whether the White House is preparing for a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, Jen Psaki replied that it was impossible to predict.
& # 8212; We cannot predict what kind of calculation President Putin will have. We saw what she (Russia, & # 8212; Ed. ) did in 2014. We saw what she was doing at the border. And we are going to consult with our allies and partners and Congress to be ready for a number of options, – Jen Psaki noted.
Earlier, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Russia cannot influence the decision the issue of Ukraine's membership in NATO.
Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said that the United States and Ukraine are working on a package to contain Russian aggression.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, speaking at the plenary session of the council Foreign Ministers of the OSCE countries in Stockholm, called on NATO not to play with fire on the issue of Ukraine's membership.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that NATO is preparing for a worst-case scenario on the Russian-Ukrainian border.
