Putin: NATO deceived Russia, promising not to expand eastward

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his opinion on the causes of the war in Ukraine, pointing to NATO’s expansion as one of the main reasons. According to him, Western countries broke the promises given to Russia and, by their actions, pushed toward conflict.

According to the Kremlin leader, members of the North Atlantic Alliance — NATO — justify their military expenditures by citing the “Russian threat.” However, he claims the reality is different.

— “How did we get to this conflict? No one talks about this. Previously, NATO promised ‘not to expand eastward by even an inch.’ But then consecutive expansion began. They deceived us, to put it simply — we were tricked,” said Vladimir Putin.

The historical promise and its violation

Putin stressed that at the time of the Soviet Union’s collapse, Western states, although not officially, essentially gave a promise to Russian leadership that NATO would not expand. However, later these promises were ignored.

— “We were given a promise. Then, one by one, Eastern European countries started joining the alliance. This posed a threat to our security. We did not just sit and wait. We were forced to respond to these actions,” he said.

Debate about armament and aggression

Putin also pointed out that Western military spending is increasing. In his view, this is done under the pretext of a “Russian threat,” but actually, these actions reflect the alliance’s own aggressive intentions.

— “They call armament their self-defense. But this is not from us, it shows their own aggression. If they want to increase military spending — let them increase. This expresses not our, but their position,” said the Kremlin leader.

Criticism using the “speck and log” proverb

In his speech, Putin also quoted a well-known saying:

— “We have a good proverb: ‘You see the speck in another’s eye, but don’t notice the log in your own.’ They accuse Russia of aggression but choose to ignore their own actions,” he noted.

Conclusion: Putin on “deceit” and “double standards” in relations with NATO

Through these statements, Putin once again accused the West of a policy of “double standards” and reminded that NATO’s expansion was perceived by Russia as a threat. In his view, this distrust lies at the root of the processes that led to the conflict in Ukraine.

Putin’s speech will naturally provoke debates on the international stage. In particular, the West’s and NATO’s response to these accusations will be closely watched. Read 'Zamin' on Telegram!