Putin Does Not Rule Out Possibility of Russia's NATO Accession

Acting Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday said that he does not preclude the chance of Russia joining NATO and his country will never be in isolation from Europe and "the civilized world."

In a Sunday morning interview with the BBC, asked whether Russia's integration into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization can take place, Putin said "Why not?" and called the Russian culture "part of the European civilization."

However, the West's attempts to exclude Russia from the debate over NATO's eastward expansion have led Moscow to oppose any such moves, said Putin.

"But this does not mean we are going to shut ourselves off from the rest of the world. Isolationism is not an option," he said.

"Russia is part of the European culture, and I cannot imagine my own country in isolation from Europe and what we often call the civilized world," said Putin.

Putin stressed that Russia's joining the western alliance can be possible only if the state enjoys equal status with the other members.

"We believe we can talk about more profound integration with NATO, but only if Russia is regarded as an equal partner," he said.

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