World
"Russia should join NATO first." Yeltsin to Clinton. classified documents
26 January 2024, 12:30
"In the case of NATO expansion, Russia should be the first to join the alliance, after which other Central and Eastern European states would follow its example." Boris Yeltsin said this at the meeting with Bill Clinton in Novo-Ogarevo in January 1994. The document was declassified in the US National Security Archive and is available online.
According to the documents, Yeltsin also proposed that Russia join the union first in case of NATO expansion. "Of course, we agree with you about NATO. Russia should be the first country to join NATO. Then other countries in Central and Eastern Europe can join. There should be a kind of cartel of the USA, Russia, and Europeans to help ensure and strengthen international security," Yeltsin said.
