Putin spoke about Biden's proposal to postpone Ukraine's admission to NATO in 2021
US President Joe Biden in 2021 suggested postponing Ukraine 's admission to NATO, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on December 26.
"I know that I talked about it, it's not a secret by any means, back in 2021 the current president Biden. He offered me exactly this - to postpone Ukraine's admission to NATO for 10-15 years, because it is not ready yet," the head of state told reporters after a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council.
Thus Putin commented on reports that the team of US President-elect Donald Trump said that it was possible to freeze the conflict in Ukraine on condition of postponing the country's accession to the alliance for 10-20 years.
According to the Russian leader, he responded to Biden's proposal that if Russia agrees, Ukraine will be prepared to join NATO in the future, and from a historical point of view, such deadlines are an instant.
Consequently, for Russia, it makes little difference whether Kiev's accession to the alliance happens today, tomorrow or in 10 years, Putin pointed out. At the same time, he noted that he is not aware of the relevant statements of the Trump team and it is necessary to observe the development of the situation.
Earlier, on December 18, special assistant to the American President Michael Carpenter said that there is no consensus in NATO yet on the admission of Ukraine. The decision on this issue will depend on the administration of Donald Trump, the official said. At the same time, he doubted that any agreements would be reached in 2025.
Ukraine applied to join NATO on an accelerated basis on September 30, 2022. Then its President Volodymyr Zelensky (term expired May 20, 2024) said that in fact the country is already in the alliance and meets its standards.
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