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NATO has firmly rejected the demands.
As diplomatic efforts continue to end the war in Ukraine, tensions between Moscow and NATO are resurfacing.
Russian officials are again demanding formal guarantees that the Western alliance will stop expanding toward its borders, reviving disputes that date back decades.
Russia’s embassy in Belgium told Russian Izvestia newspaper, that Moscow wants NATO to legally commit to halting further enlargement to the east.
The remarks are similar to what was said by the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, in a February 11 interview with “Empathy Manuchi”. According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Lavrov said during the interview, that the Kremlin demands that NATO halts its expansion and does not deploy forces in states that joined the alliance efter 1997.
Among the nations joining NATO after 1997 are the Baltic states, Bulgaria and Romania.
“Conveniently forgotten”
In remarks to Izvestia, an unnamed embassy spokesperson said, “All the oral promises made by NATO in the past about not expanding were conveniently forgotten or ignored when it suited them.”
The diplomat argued that assurances were given to Soviet leaders during negotiations over German reunification, and claimed documents in Western archives support that view.
President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly accused Western governments of “betraying” Russia by failing to honor what he describes as commitments not to widen NATO’s footprint in Eastern Europe.
The 2008-summit
According to Izvestia, the official said that Kremlin will also demand a nullification of the decisions made at the 2008 Bucharest Summit.
The decision stated that Ukraine an Georgia could eventually join the alliance, but Izvestia writes that it was actually a promise of future membership for the two states.
NATO rejects veto
NATO leaders have firmly dismissed Moscow’s position. Secretary General Mark Rutte said last year that Russia cannot influence decisions on alliance membership.
“Russia has no vote and no veto over who becomes a NATO member,” Rutte said, emphasizing that any new member must receive unanimous backing from existing allies.
Rutte has also underlined the need for credible security guarantees for Ukraine to deter further aggression, regardless of whether Kyiv eventually joins NATO.
The dispute over enlargement has sharpened since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Finland and Sweden have since joined the alliance, significantly extending NATO’s border with Russia to roughly 3,000 kilometers. The Baltic Sea is now largely surrounded by NATO member states.
While the Kremlin strongly opposes Ukraine’s potential NATO membership, it has taken a different tone on Kyiv’s European Union aspirations. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, “This is the sovereign right of any country. No one can dictate such decisions, and we are not going to.”
Sources: Izvestia, NATO statements, Institute for the Study of War (ISW)
