Should Ukraine Agree to Relinquish Territories, it Will Lose Kiev — Medvedev

"The Ukrainian authorities would have to move the capital to Lvov, if, of course, the Poles agree," the politician remarked

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev Yekaterina Shtukina/POOL/TASS

© Yekaterina Shtukina/POOL/TASS

MOSCOW, August 15. /TASS/. Should Ukraine agree to relinquish disputed territories for the sake of joining NATO, it will have to give up even Kiev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, said on his Telegram channel.

While commenting on a remark by the director of NATO’s Secretary-General’s Private Office, Stian Jenssen, to the effect that Ukraine might become a member of the alliance in case of territorial concessions to Russia, Medvedev wrote: "Why? The idea is curious. The only question is that all of allegedly ‘their’ territories are highly disputable. To enter the bloc [NATO], the Kiev authorities would have to give up even Kiev itself, the capital of Ancient Rus," he added.

"Well, they (the Ukrainian authorities - TASS) would have to move the capital to Lvov then. If, of course, the Poles agree," Medvedev remarked.

The director of NATO Secretary General’s Private Office, Stian Jenssen, said earlier on Tuesday that Ukraine could become a NATO member if it agreed to cede territories that it currently refused to recognize as part of Russia.