Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (R) and his Ukrainian counterpart Yulia Tymoshenko meet in Moscow for talks June 28, 2008. [Agencies]
Russia will end its cooperation with Ukraine in the field of sensitive military technologies if Ukraine joins the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Saturday after talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Yulia Tymoshenko.
"As for sensitive technologies, and first of all rocket technologies, such production facilities will be moved to Russia," Putin was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying.
Russia "believes any NATO enlargement is counterproductive from the point of view of international security," he said, adding that "this enlargement will not eliminate new threats but create new dividing lines."
Meanwhile, Putin hailed Tymoshenko's statement that the issue of the Black Sea Fleet presence in Ukraine should be discussed in a civil and calm manner.
Putin said that any unilateral action in this matter will be destructive and will ruin the Russian-Ukrainian relations.
"We believe it is our common legacy and there are appropriate agreements ratified by the two countries' parliaments, which have to be complied with," he said.
(Xinhua News Agency June 29, 2008)
