The Kremlin for the first time admitted it cannot prevent Ukraine from joining NATO, while the US State Department classified Russians as "homeless nationalities"

Such status is granted to residents of countries where there is no consular representation or where there is an "unstable political situation."

The Kremlin for the first time admitted that it cannot prevent Ukraine from joining NATO, while the US State Department classified Russians as "homeless nationalities".

Meanwhile, the Kremlin was outraged by the idea of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council to equip checkpoints for residents of the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and Crimea with communication links to Ukrainian government bodies. 

On Ukraine and NATO

Russia for the first time admitted that it will not be able to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO, but believes it can "minimize" certain consequences of Ukraine's accession to the alliance.

Dmitry Peskov 
Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation

We cannot prevent this. And it is impossible. But we can minimize the consequences of such steps for our country. I have no doubt that, should Ukraine and NATO continue to draw closer, everything necessary will be done in Russia.

Peskov did not specify what exactly Moscow "needs to do".

In addition, the representative of Vladimir Putin also commented on Russia's relations with the alliance itself. According to Peskov, there is "nothing terrible" in the rupture of relations, since NATO was allegedly originally aimed against Russia.

"Homeless Nationality"

The US State Department placed Russians who want to apply for a US visa in the category of "homeless nationalities".

The list of Homeless Nationalities, or "homeless nationalities", includes people from countries where the US has no consular representation of its own, or from those where an unstable political situation has developed, due to which US diplomats cannot perform their functions.

In the American list of "homeless" countries, in addition to Russia, are Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Libya, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen.

The document contains instructions for Russians: if applying for a US visa, they should contact the US Embassy in Warsaw.

Objections to access for residents of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and Crimea to communication with Ukrainian authorities

The Kremlin objected to the plans of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council to set up communication points along the lines of demarcation with the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and Crimea, linking Ukrainians from occupied territories with Ukrainian government bodies.

Thus, the controversial Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova called this a "provocation" that was allegedly being prepared by "Ukrainian security forces".

In turn, Kyiv responded that Russia will not be able to prevent residents of the temporarily occupied Donbas and Crimea from communicating with Ukrainian authorities, since the policy of the "Iron Curtain" will not work.

Oleg Nikolenko
Spokesperson of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry

The deterioration of the situation in the temporarily occupied territories calls for innovative solutions from Ukraine. <...> Meanwhile, Russia, as an occupying state, must strictly adhere to its international legal obligations and implement the agreements of the leaders of the Normandy Format.

According to him, the issue concerns ensuring the basic needs of the population, including adequate protection against COVID-19, unblocking the operation of checkpoints, ending the sabotage of the trilateral contact group's activities, and ensuring the unhindered work of the OSCE mission.