Putin says Western military backing of Ukraine threatens Russia

Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a session of the annual Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi, Russia October 21, 2021. Sputnik/Maksim Blinov/Kremlin via REUTERS

MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that the Western-backed military development of Ukraine posed a serious threat to Russia, two days after the U.S. defense secretary staged a show of support for Kyiv and encouraged its aspiration to join NATO.

Putin told a group of journalists and Russia experts that Tuesday's visit to Ukraine by Lloyd Austin, in which he said no third country had the right to veto its hoped-for NATO membership, had effectively paved the way for Kyiv to join.