You're reading: Polish foreign minister: Ukraine’s membership in NATO not on agenda

Ukraine's membership in NATO is not on the agenda, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said in St. Petersburg on Tuesday.

“We do not think Ukraine’s rapprochement with the European Union is a threat to Russia. Ukraine’s membership in NATO is not on the agenda now,” he said at a press conference after talks with his Russian and German counterparts.

“If Russia wants to prove that it really favors de-escalation in Ukraine, the best way to do this would be to stop the inflow of separatists and weapons via the Russian-Ukrainian border,” the Polish foreign minister said.

“We have been witnessing the Russian volunteers’ bias in Ukraine, including the Caucasus units. I would like to remind everyone: we could see the same in the past. It is something that did harm to Russia,” Sikorski said.

“We want to see Ukraine peaceful and stable, and being a common home for all who live there. Irrespective of their language and faith all people must feel equal and respected – people whose opinions count,” he said.

“We deem President Vladimir Putin’s statement that the outcome of the Ukrainian elections will be respected as a step in the positive direction. We are happy that the Russian and Ukrainian presidents met in Normandy thanks to the French initiative,” the Polish foreign minister said.

“We count on Russia’s constructive relations with the Ukrainian president. Our own example of rapprochement with the European Union demonstrates that this positively influences trade with Russia,” he said.

Sikorski denied reports claiming that Maidan militants were trained in Poland.