Russian officials have expressed concern over the potential emergence of military infrastructure in Ukraine, linked to NATO, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskow said on Friday, commenting on a new security agreement between London and Kiev.
The 100-year bilateral agreement, signed on Thursday by Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelenskyy and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, states that the two nations will explore options for the establishment and maintenance of defense infrastructure in Ukraine, including military bases, logistics depots, and storage facilities for military equipment and war reserves.
Although the establishment of such infrastructure in itself would not necessarily lead to Ukraine’s NATO membership, a scenario Moscow strongly rejects, the British plans are “certainly cause for concern” Peskow told journalists.
He also shared the Russian government’s rejection of British statements that the defense cooperation with Ukraine would involve a strengthened “maritime security cooperation” in the vicinity of the Russian border, including the Azov Sea. Peskow emphasized that the Azov Sea is a Russian inland waterway, making “interactions between Ukraine and the UK there hardly possible.”
Moscow views NATO as an enemy entity and has accused its members of using Ukraine as a proxy in a war against Russia, with Ukrainian soldiers serving as “cannon fodder.”
The United Kingdom is one of the loudest supporters of Kiev’s war efforts. In the 100-year agreement, it has committed to providing Ukraine with at least £3 billion (around €3.5 billion) in military aid annually until the 2030/31 fiscal year.
The eastern expansion of NATO since the 1990s – which Russian officials consider a breach of the promises made to Moscow in the context of Germany’s reunification – is, in their view, one of the main causes of the current hostilities.