DISINFO: Spiegel's document confirms Russian grievances about NATO expansion
SUMMARY
A secret document dating back to talks between senior officials from the United States, the United Kingdom, France and the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) in Bonn on 6 March 1991, showed that the West and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation "NATO" did not abide by its promises not to expand to the east, even by "one centimetre".
The German newspaper, "Spiegel", said that the secret document, recovered from the British National Archives, provides evidence that Western countries have agreed to reject the membership of Eastern European countries in the alliance, which means that Russia's current grievance about NATO's expansion to the east is justified.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about NATO enlargement into Eastern and Central Europe.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg replied in an interview with Der Spiegel later, that “there has never been such a promise, there has never been such a behind-the-scenes deal, it is simply not true”, adding "the West did not reach any legally binding agreement with the Kremlin that rules out NATO's eastward expansion”.
This notion was confirmed by the former president of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev. Back in 2014, he said that “The topic of ‘NATO expansion’ was not discussed at all, and it wasn’t brought up in those years. I say this with full responsibility”.
Additionally, declassified White House transcripts also reveal that, in 1997, Bill Clinton consistently refused Boris Yeltsin's offer of a 'gentlemen's agreement' that no former Soviet Republics would enter NATO. Furthermore, James Baker, U.S. Secretary of State at the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union, told CNN during a 2009 interview:
"There was a discussion about whether unified Germany would be a member of NATO, and that was the only discussion we ever had … There was never any discussion of anything but (East Germany)."
On the same issue, the claim about NATO "expansion" misrepresents the process of NATO enlargement. NATO does not "expand" but considers the applications of candidate countries that want to join. NATO is a defensive alliance, whose purpose is to protect its member states. NATO’s door has been open to new members since it was founded in 1949 – and that has never changed.
On top of that NATO has worked to build a partnership with Russia for more than two decades, including through the NATO-Russia Council (NRC). However, in March 2014, in response to Russia's aggressive actions against Ukraine, NATO suspended practical cooperation with Russia. The Alliance does not seek confrontation, but also cannot ignore Russia breaking international rules, undermining geopolitical stability and security.
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