DISINFO: Approaching Russian border is one of NATO’s gross violation of its own commitments

DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS

AI translations:

DISINFO: Approaching Russian border is one of NATO’s gross violation of its own commitments

SUMMARY

One of NATO's commitments is not to approach Russian borders. Russia sees a gross violation by NATO colleagues of the agreements achieved in the late 1990s that stated that NATO would not deploy large military forces on the territory of new members.

RESPONSE

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative regarding NATO commitment not to expand to the East, claiming that NATO enlargement is directed against Russia.

This so-called promise did not exist. NATO members have never made any political or legally binding commitments not to enlarge the Alliance.

The narrative shows a broad interpretation of agreements between NATO and Russia. The NATO-Russian Founding Act (1997) has a statement that "NATO will carry out its collective defense and other missions through interoperability, integration and capability for reinforcement rather than by additional permanent stationing of substantial combat forces on the territory of new members". In the meantime, in the document, it is stressed: "The Act makes clear that Russia has no veto over alliance decisions and NATO retains the right to act independently when it so chooses".

See also this article for an account of the NATO question.

NATO exercises and military deployments are not directed against Russia. The claim that NATO is encircling or threatening Russia is one of the myths about this organisation.

See more cases in our database with claims that NATO promised not to expand further east; or that the goal of NATO military exercise is to kill Russians; or that the West pursues an anti-Russian campaign to encircle and destabilise Russia; or that NATO wants to create an anti-Russian "belt".

Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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