Please show me the document of the agreement not to expand NATO.
While you try to find that, it would be great if you could explain why countries want to give away some of their military freedom and risk being dragged to other wars and join NATO. Why did the baltic countries join? Why did Sweden and Finland - two typically anti-NATO countries - recently changed their mind without public opposition?
NATO should send Putin a "salesman of the year 2022" award. The guy managed to give a new life to the organisation and made both countries join, creating a "east expands to NATO" (and not a "NATO expands east") situation. This wouldn't have happened before Feb 2022... are we sure he isn't working for the "west"?
If you want to talk about agreements, we can start by talking about the Budapest Memorandum from 1994 ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budapest_Memorandum ). It's only 6 points and very easy to understand, I recommend reading it.
I don't know who's talking about Article 5 being used when a member of NATO starts an offensive war against someone else. I also didn't read anything about Poland joining Ukraine to fight Russia (which, let's not forget, decided to wage war). Maybe you replied to the wrong person?
Not going to continue this discussion with you though. Not that the west is blameless, but I have no time to discuss with someone that blames everyone but the country that willingly started the war in Ukraine.
When Trumps get elected soon, NATO won't be such a freebie anymore! I won't be surprised if it gets dismanteled. I can accept an EU army, but NATO is a thing from the past that needs to be revisited!
"Myth," Gorbachev said in 2014 interview to ZDF. He added that there is nothing in writing because there was no agreement. Had there been an agreement, they would've written it down. Clip: https://twitter.com/splendid_pete/status/1650735533826375680
And as a bonus feature, in the same clip, USSR's Minister of Defense (1987-1991) says that he's never even heard about it. USSR's Minister of Foreign Affairs gave a similar interview in 2014 too and also called the story BS, adding that he finds nothing wrong with the way Eastern Europe joined NATO.
So there's no proper agreement, just a verbal one, something those that came after could easily ignore, assuming they were even aware about it. And we have to take their word for it because there's no proof. Very smart!
I can point you to the Budapest Memorandum and explain how Russia broke it and why countries like the UK and US have to support Ukraine because 1) the points are very easy to understand and 2) they all signed it.
In any case, one very important question remains. Why do countries want to join NATO? You blame everyone but Russia, but what do you expect to happen when everyone around them has "russians" in need of "protection", their media explains how these small countries could be easily invaded or nuked, Putin starts babbling about what happened 500 years ago and Peter the Great, and so on?
Russia is a pain in the ass for everyone that is unfortunate to have a border with them. From Finland and Ukraine to Kazakhstan and China, they have problems with everyone. Their own behaviour is their main enemy.
While you try to find that, it would be great if you could explain why countries want to give away some of their military freedom and risk being dragged to other wars and join NATO. Why did the baltic countries join? Why did Sweden and Finland - two typically anti-NATO countries - recently changed their mind without public opposition?
NATO should send Putin a "salesman of the year 2022" award. The guy managed to give a new life to the organisation and made both countries join, creating a "east expands to NATO" (and not a "NATO expands east") situation. This wouldn't have happened before Feb 2022... are we sure he isn't working for the "west"?
If you want to talk about agreements, we can start by talking about the Budapest Memorandum from 1994 ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budapest_Memorandum ). It's only 6 points and very easy to understand, I recommend reading it.
I don't know who's talking about Article 5 being used when a member of NATO starts an offensive war against someone else. I also didn't read anything about Poland joining Ukraine to fight Russia (which, let's not forget, decided to wage war). Maybe you replied to the wrong person?
Not going to continue this discussion with you though. Not that the west is blameless, but I have no time to discuss with someone that blames everyone but the country that willingly started the war in Ukraine.