Ukraine's neutral status of critical importance to Russia - Naryshkin

MOSCOW. March 3 (Interfax) - Ukraine's neutral status is of key importance to Russia, as this is the territorial barrier needed to repel attacks from the West, head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Naryshkin said on Thursday.

"The neutral status of Ukraine is critically important for Russia. This is a minimally adequate territorial barrier that our country needs to repel attacks from the West," Naryshkin said in a statement on the Foreign Intelligence Service website.

"U.S. and NATO experts understand this very well. That is why they engaged with Ukraine so tightly in a situation where Russia challenged the weakening American hegemony," he said.

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