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Declassified documents reveal the deal, Clinton promised Putin NATO entry in 2000
2025-08-22 11:37:32 / BOTA
Former US President Bill Clinton allegedly promised his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in 2000 that he would consider Russia's membership in NATO.
At least that's what is revealed by declassified documents published on Thursday by the George Washington Metropolitan University National Security Archive research organization.
" From the beginning of the NATO enlargement process, I knew that this could be a problem for Russia. I was sensitive to that, and I want it to be understood that NATO enlargement does not threaten Russia in any way ," Clinton is quoted as saying in the minutes of his conversation with Putin in the Kremlin on June 4, 2000.
This document was drafted by the White House, as explained in a TASS report citing declassified files.
" Russia should be part of every organization that holds the civilized world together. I am seriously considering Russian membership in NATO ," Clinton said.
“I accept that concerns within Russia will hinder such a development for the time being, but over time Russia should be part of any organization that holds the civilized world together. If our successors focus on the main threats they face against each other, they will miss the opportunity to address other problems together ,” he noted.
Clinton emphasized that Russians have a negative connotation for NATO, but according to him, it should be seen that Central Europe does not feel threatened by Russia.
" I understand that for many Russians, NATO still has a negative connotation. However, I hope you will see that the Central European states do not feel threatened by Russia. We want to help. Concretely, we should try to agree now on what the world will look like in the next ten years. I am serious when I make this proposal ," he said, according to declassified documents.
Clinton added that he was pleased with the resumption of cooperation between Russia and NATO. As reported by TASS, in February 2024, in an interview with Tucker Carlson, Vladimir Putin stated that Russia could have become a member of NATO if the United States had expressed its sincere desire in the early 2000s. Putin recalled his meeting with Clinton in 2000 in the Kremlin.
“ I asked him: ‘Listen Bill, if Russia were to raise the issue of NATO membership, do you think it would be possible?’ and he, while Clinton replied: ‘You know, it’s interesting, I think so .’
Putin added that when they met for dinner, he said he had spoken to his team and that this was impossible at the moment.
" If he had said 'Yes,' the rapprochement process would have begun and ultimately Russia's accession to NATO could have happened if we had seen a sincere desire from our partners for this ," the Russian leader said.
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