Russia’s belief in Nato ‘betrayal’ – and why it matters today

The article delineates the deep-rooted grievance in Russia regarding perceived broken promises by the West at the end of the Cold War (1989-1990) concerning NATO's eastward expansion. This issue, brought to light in Vladimir Putin's 2007 speech, fuels distrust and shapes Russia's stance in international security discussions, including draft security treaties to reverse NATO's extension. The grievance, shared across the Russian political elite, centers around verbal commitments made by US and German officials to Soviet leaders, which were seen as assurances against NATO's expansion, though not formally documented. The article also references Mary Elise Sarotte's book, "Not One Inch," which discusses the internal dialogues within the Western alliance and Russia over enlargement, revealing Russia's inability to halt NATO's progressive expansion. Although the formal 1990 agreement between Russia and the West was restricted to Germany, the narrative of betrayal persists in Russia, affecting its interactions with the West and its perception of international agreements. Over the years, even as Russia showed openness to NATO's expansion, contingent on financial support from the West, the underlying grievance about broken promises continues to influence Russia-West relations, driving a narrative of betrayal that hinders cooperative engagement between the parties.