Moscow, March 6 (IANS): Moscow has categorically ruled out any possibility of Ukraine joining NATO, a senior official said Thursday.

"This will happen in no circumstances. It is impossible," Xinhua quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Vasily Nebenzya as telling reporters.

He stressed that both Russia and NATO understood very well the consequences of Ukraine becoming a member of the Euro-Atlantic defence alliance.

He said, "I cannot imagine Ukraine's participation in NATO now nor in the future."

On Wednesday, Ukrainian lawmakers introduced a bill that would cancel the country's non-aligned status and allow it to join military alliances. Voting begins on the bill next week.

Amid a political crisis in Ukraine, NATO warned earlier this week that it was cutting back cooperation with Russia and trying to pressure it into backing down on Ukraine.

NATO also announced Wednesday it had suspended planning for the first NATO-Russia joint naval mission to escort shipments of Syria's chemical weapons.