Putin: "Ukraine's accession to NATO will be a springboard to strike Russia"

If Ukraine joins NATO, it will be a springboard for the alliance to strike Russia, President Vladimir Putin said, Report informs, citing the Russian media.

Putin noted that the Russian Federation has every reason to believe that Ukraine's accession to NATO and the deployment of the alliance's weapons in this country is an expected outcome.

"NATO does not need large countries like Russia," he added.

Earlier, Putin said that in 2000, he asked President Bill Clinton how the United States would react to Russia's accession to NATO. According to him, the reaction of the US leader was restrained.