Russia intends to demand from NATO a legally binding refusal of any further eastward expansion. The Russian Embassy in Belgium announced that the Alliance must confirm its commitments "on paper" and cancel the 2008 Bucharest Summit decision regarding the membership prospects of Ukraine and Georgia. Russian officials emphasize that this demand is essential since the West has historically ignored and failed to honor its verbal commitments.
The end of expansion
Russia intends to demand written guarantees from NATO regarding its non-expansion to the east, sources at the Russian Federation's embassy in Belgium told the Russian newspaper Izvestia. "The Russian Federation will insist on recording the relevant agreements on paper, including the cancellation of the Bucharest Summit decisions, because all verbal promises made in the past by NATO members themselves about non-expansion were forgotten and ignored the moment it was convenient for them," the Russian diplomats point out. They recalled that during the preparation of the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany, leaders of major NATO countries assured the Soviet leadership that there were no plans to expand the alliance after the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Germany. According to the diplomats, documents confirming such statements are kept in the archives of these states but are not made public in the West.
"We are asking for nothing unusual"
Russia is not asking for anything extraordinary but is demanding the fulfillment of commitments, President Vladimir Putin reminded in an interview with the television channel India Today in December 2025. "We are not asking for anything unusual or unexpected, nothing that fell from the sky. We simply insist on the fulfillment of the promises already made to us," the Russian President stressed, noting that such assurances had been given since the 1990s. "No eastward expansion of NATO, that was announced publicly," Putin had stated.
No response
The Russian President has raised the issue repeatedly. In October 2024, he noted that Moscow's long-standing appeals to Western partners to abandon NATO expansion went unanswered. According to Putin, promises of non-expansion were violated, while the further extension of military infrastructure near Russian borders, including plans for bases in Ukraine, contradicts security principles. "Is it fair for someone to invade our interior, say, in Ukraine itself, and start building there—not preparing, but already building military bases? Is it fair?" Putin had asked then. At the same time, the President added that at one point Moscow not only cooperated with NATO but also looked forward to potential membership, though, according to him, "they were not waiting for us there." He also recalled the various stages of NATO enlargement. "And this, without a doubt, the movement of military infrastructure toward our borders, causes and has caused our legitimate concern," the President stated.
"This is a huge step"
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted that Washington's position on the issue of NATO expansion has undergone significant changes. Lavrov stated that US President Donald Trump's recognition of Russian interests in the non-expansion of the alliance served as a powerful signal. "We have already said repeatedly that US President Donald Trump publicly recognized our interests in the non-expansion of NATO. This is a huge step," the veteran Russian diplomat stated. According to Lavrov, in the past, no Western politician had used such phrasing. The Minister emphasized that without eliminating the root causes of the Ukrainian conflict, these issues would recur in any peace agreement. He added that Moscow's position is well known to the American side and the US is ready to accept it.
Deceiving Russia
Trump's statement that NATO misled Russia regarding eastward expansion can be considered a fairly bold move, agreed State Duma deputy from Sevastopol and member of the international affairs committee Dmitry Belik. According to him, the recognition of one's own mistakes shows the strength of a politician, and in this way, Trump seeks to position himself. The deputy also emphasized that NATO infrastructure was gradually moving toward Russian borders with the expectation that Moscow "would swallow the deception," but now, in his estimation, the alliance states find themselves "between a rock and a hard place."
"Russia has a right"
Although the NATO leadership continues to pretend it does not understand Russia's demands, more and more politicians in the West are agreeing with Moscow's position. Steffen Kotre, a member of the Bundestag's international policy committee, stated as early as 2022 that Russia has the right to demand the refusal of Ukraine's entry into NATO. "Russia, let's say, after the end of the Cold War, found itself in a tight spot; NATO expansion took place despite agreements, NATO approached the Russian border, and the US opened bases everywhere. Russia is right to feel revulsion and has the right to insist that Ukraine must not fall into NATO now," he explained. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that Moscow has the right to express its demands regarding the non-deployment of alliance forces near Russian borders; however, decisions on the disposition of troops are made exclusively by NATO member states.
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