Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov (right) with his Ukrainian counterpart Anatoliy Hrytsenko (epa)
December 7, 2006 -- Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov warned that any decision by Ukraine to join NATO would "inevitably" affect bilateral relations.
Russia has repeatedly voiced its opposition to the possibility that Ukraine might someday join the alliance.
Ivanov was speaking during a visit to Kyiv, where he met with his Ukrainian counterpart, Anatoliy Hrytsenko, and President Viktor Yushchenko to discuss plans for Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit Ukraine later this month.
(AP, UNIAN)
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