Russia has demanded NATO to nullify its 2008 promise to eventually grant Ukraine membership in the U.S.-led NATO military alliance. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov emphasized Russia's objection to NATO membership for Ukraine during talks in Riyadh with a U.S. delegation. Lavrov reiterated President Vladimir Putin's stance that NATO expansion poses a direct threat to Russian interests. Furthermore, Lavrov rebuffed the idea of NATO forces, even under different banners, serving as peacekeepers in Ukraine. The 2008 Bucharest declaration, intended to manage tensions between the U.S. and European countries, highlighted differing opinions on Ukraine's potential NATO entry. Russia has consistently pointed to NATO enlargement, particularly Ukraine's aspirations, as a catalyst for the conflict in Ukraine. NATO advocates its defensive nature and denies expansionist intentions, asserting that it has not directly participated in the conflict. Marred by this backdrop, Russia calls for Ukraine to honor its 1990 commitment to neutrality, eschewing military alliances and nuclear armament. Ukraine relinquished its Soviet-era nuclear arsenal in the 1990s in exchange for assurances of independence from Russia, the U.S., and Britain.