Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov today called on Ukraine to stay "outside of any bloc", referring, as reported by Agence France-Presse, to NATO. "Without a doubt, it is very important for (Ukraine) to remain outside any bloc, not only to strengthen stability in the Euro-Atlantic zone, but also for its national interest," Lavrov said in an address to reporters in Moscow. Earlier today, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov asked for guarantees that Ukraine will not join NATO. "We would like to hear one hundred percent guarantees that no one is planning Ukraine's entry into NATO," Peskov told the BBC. Peskov added that Moscow also wants to hear that NATO will stop moving closer to Russia's borders and stop trying to upset the balance of power. Kiev today condemned Moscow's pressure on this issue. "I remind my Russian colleagues that Ukraine is an independent and sovereign country," the spokesperson of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote on his Twitter account, adding that Ukraine will not accept pressure on these issues. The authorities in Kiev have repeatedly expressed their desire to get closer to the Western military alliance. The number of Ukrainians who support their country joining NATO has reached almost 44 percent this year, compared to 13 percent in 2012 after Russia's annexation of Crimea and armed conflict with pro-Russian rebels in the east of the country.
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