Russia says Ukraine joining NATO would mean war

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said the accession of Ukraine to NATO would be a declaration of war against Moscow and only "prudence" on behalf of the alliance could prevent the planet being shattered into pieces.

The leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation pledged at their summit last week to support Ukraine on an "irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership," but left open when that membership could happen.

Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council and a leading voice among the Kremlin's hawks, told the news outlet Argumenty I Fakty that Ukraine's membership would go beyond a direct threat to Moscow's security.

"This, in essence, would be a declaration of war - albeit with a delay," he said in remarks published on Wednesday.

"For Russia, nothing will change, since key decisions are made not by NATO member countries, but by one state - the United States," Medvedev said.