DISINFO: NATO forgot its promise not to expand one inch to the East
SUMMARY
NATO forgot the promises of James Baker, US Secretary of State in 1990, to Gorbachev, not to expand one inch to the east. In 1997, NATO called in the Madrid Summit on Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic to join the alliance. In a second round in 2004, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia became members of NATO. Then came the US position on the Rose, Orange and Maidan revolutions, in the years 2003, 2004 and 2014, to put Washington and Moscow in violent confrontation.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about NATO enlargement, which aims to justify Russia's war of agression against Ukraine as an act of self defence.
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”.
Central and Eastern European countries began seeking NATO membership in the early 1990s. NATO actively sought to create a cooperative environment that was conducive to enlargement while simultaneously building special relations with Russia.
Furthermore, 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 exercising their free will to decide alliance affiliation. NATO enlargement is not directed against Russia.
See similar cases that Russia was promised NATO would never expand eastward, that NATO repeatedly promised to Russia not to expand eastward, that NATO expands Eastwards to threaten and provoke Russia, and that NATO promises not to move eastward were not fulfilled.