DISINFO: The West cannot be trusted: NATO promised not to expand eastward
SUMMARY
The West cannot be trusted. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg's statement that the alliance has never made a promise not to expand eastward is not true. Of course, they promised. There are recollections of a British diplomat, who participated in the negotiations related to the unification of Germany. This English diplomat wrote that they sincerely promised that NATO would not expand, but of course, they did not mean it.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about NATO enlargement.
This claim has been debunked numerous times. NATO did not promise not to expand into eastern and central Europe back in 1990, which was confirmed by the former president of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev. Back in 2014, Gorbachev said “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. Not a single eastern European country raised the issue, not even after the Warsaw Pact ceased to exist in 1991.”
These so-called verbal agreements are a fiction. NATO members never made any political or legally binding commitments not to extend the alliance beyond the borders of reunified Germany.
The claim alleging that NATO promised not to enlarge fundamentally misrepresents the nature of the alliance. NATO, as a defensive alliance, is not “expanding” in the imperialistic sense. Decisions regarding NATO membership are up to each individual applicant and the current 30 NATO allies. Every sovereign state can choose its path and bordering states – in this case Russia – have no right to intervene or veto.
For more debunks of pro-Kremlin myths about Ukraine see here.
See related pro-Kremlin disinformation claims, alleing that At the time of Germany reunification US promised Gorbachev that NATO would not expand eastwards; NATO is luring Ukraine and the Scandinavian countries into the bloc; NATO has double standards when it comes to Russia.