Russia says Ukrainian NATO membership is unacceptable in any form

Russia said on Wednesday that Ukrainian accession to the U.S.-led NATO military alliance was unacceptable to Russia, whether in part or in any other form. "Whether in parts or in any form, Ukraine's accession to NATO is unacceptable for Russia," Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for Russia's foreign ministry, told reporters.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, a former NATO secretary general, has put forward a proposal for Ukraine to join the military alliance but stripped of the territories controlled by Russia, the Guardian newspaper reported.