Russia has confirmed that preventing Kyiv from joining NATO is one of its key goals amid the visit of Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to Ukraine, TASS reports.
"Preventing Ukraine from joining NATO is still one of the goals (of the war)," said Putin's press secretary Dmytro Peskov.
"Ukraine's entry into the alliance will pose a serious and significant danger to our country, to the security of our country."
The head of NATO is in Ukraine on his first visit since the beginning of the war.
Earlier this month, the Kremlin warned that Russia would build up forces near its border after Finland joins the alliance.
Finnish and Swedish public support for joining NATO increased dramatically after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
