‘Not One Inch Eastward’: Putin Slams NATO’s Broken Promise on Expansion
“We were explicitly promised that NATO would not expand eastward — not one inch. These assurances were made to Soviet and later Russian leadership during the critical period of German reunification in the early 1990s. At that time, we were told that if we cooperated in dismantling the Cold War barriers and accepted the peaceful reunification of Germany, NATO would not seek to move closer to our borders.
But what followed was the opposite. We saw wave after wave of NATO expansion, absorbing Eastern European nations, former Warsaw Pact members, and even parts of the former Soviet Union. Despite our repeated warnings and attempts to engage in constructive dialogue, our concerns were ignored.
This pattern of deception has not only violated the spirit of those early assurances but has also undermined the foundations of trust between Russia and the West. Our people feel betrayed. We see foreign military infrastructure being deployed ever closer to our borders, in direct contradiction to the agreements and understandings we believed were in place.
This is not just about geopolitics — it is about security, respect, and sovereignty. The continued expansion of NATO has left Russia with no choice but to defend its interests and ensure the safety of its people and its borders. Russians have been deceived, and history will judge those who broke their promises.”
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