U.S. envoy wants Russia to join NATO

BRUSSELS, June 9 (UPI) -- The U.S. representative to NATO said Monday she would like to see Russia as a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

"Speaking as a mom and as a strategist and a lifetime student and friend of the Russian people, I would love to live in a world where Russia wanted to be a NATO member and Russia had met the very high standards that NATO sets for openness, democracy, reform, rule of law that new NATO members must meet," Victoria Nuland told RIA Novosti.

Former Russian president Vladimir Putin had previously ruled out NATO membership for Russia.

"I do think, as President Bush said to President Putin and said to everybody in Bucharest during the NATO-Russia Council, we've got more work to do to help (people sitting at) Russian kitchen tables understand today's NATO," Nuland was quoted as saying.

She added that Ukraine and Georgia are not yet ready to join NATO, the Russian news agency reported.

"There is not a single NATO member who would say today that Ukraine and Georgia are ready to be NATO members," she said.