Many European countries are aware of the problems that would arise if Ukraine were to join NATO but it is the United States that "calls the tunes" for the alliance, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

Asked at a regular news briefing about Ukraine's push to join the Western military alliance, Peskov said Kyiv's NATO ambitions underscored its unwillingness to resolve problems at the negotiating table.

Peskov added that Ukrainian membership of NATO would cause problems for many years to come and that Russia would protect its own security and interests.

(Reporting by Reuters Writing by Gareth Jones; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)