Putin once supported NATO expansion: Ukrainian MFA shows quote from Kremlin archive
Official Kyiv reminds: back in 2004, Vladimir Putin gave a positive assessment of NATO expansion. Now, he uses it as justification for aggression against Ukraine.
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Vladimir Putin. / © Associated Press / © Associated Press
The Russian narrative of a supposed “threat” from NATO as the reason for invading Ukraine is yet another manipulative attempt that does not withstand any scrutiny.
Spokesman for Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Heorhii Tykhyi said this, referencing archival statements made by Vladimir Putin himself.
“Every country has the right to choose the option it considers most effective for ensuring its own security.” / © Heorhii Tykhyi on X
“On April 8, 2004, Putin personally met with the NATO Secretary General in Moscow and publicly stated: "Every country has the right to choose the option it considers most effective for ensuring its own security." At the time, he also expressed hope that the Alliance’s expansion "would strengthen trust in Europe and the world,” Tykhyi recalled.
In contrast, today Putin claims that NATO enlargement was supposedly a “betrayal” and a “threat” to Russia, using this as a rationale for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to the MFA, such statements are merely attempts to rewrite history.
“Putin is a pathological liar who constantly bends facts to suit his imperial ambitions. The story of alleged "NATO promises not to expand eastward" is one of his favorite propaganda myths — long debunked, including by Gorbachev himself,” the spokesman stated.
Kyiv stresses that NATO posed no threat to Russia but rather prevented it from militarily dominating its neighboring countries.
“This is exactly what Putin is really fighting against. The countries of Central and Eastern Europe sought to join NATO themselves — to protect their children from Russian tanks and the Kremlin’s colonial ambitions,” Tykhyi concluded.