Changes

When we say that we object to NATO's expansion to the East, we are not expressing any special ambitions of our own, ambitions in respect of some regions of the world. ... By the way, we have never declared any part of the world a zone of our national interests. Personally, I prefer to speak about strategic partnership. The zone of strategic interests of any particular region means first of all the interests of the people who live in that region. ...}}

When we say that we object to NATO's expansion to the East, we are not expressing any special ambitions of our own, ambitions in respect of some regions of the world. ... By the way, we have never declared any part of the world a zone of our national interests. Personally, I prefer to speak about strategic partnership. The zone of strategic interests of any particular region means first of all the interests of the people who live in that region. ...}}

On September 9, 2001, two days before the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]], Putin had telephoned President [[George W. Bush]] to warn that Russian intelligence had detected signs of an incipient terrorist campaign, something long in preparation, coming out of Afghanistan.<ref>[https://responsiblestatecraft.org/russia-terror-attack/ Connecting dots: What Russia can learn from the US after 9/11], [[George Beebe]], ''[[Responsible Statecraft]]'', Mar 26, 2024. responsiblestatecraft.org</ref> Within hours after the attacks, Vladimir Putin was the first foreign leader to call President [[George W. Bush]] and offer sympathy and support for what became the first invocation of NATO Article V, "an attack against one is an attack against all."<ref>https://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/09/10/ar911.russia.putin/index.html</ref> Putin announced a five-point plan to support the [[war on terror]], pledging that the Russian government would (1) share intelligence with their American counterparts, (2) open Russian airspace for flights providing humanitarian assistance, (3) cooperate with Russia's Central Asian allies in [[Uzbekistan]] and [[Kyrgyzstan]] to provide similar kinds of airspace access to American flights, (4) participate in international search and rescue efforts, and (5) increase direct assistance—humanitarian as well as military assistance—to the Afghan Northern Alliance. The intelligence Putin shared, including data that helped American forces find their way around [[Kabul]] and logistical information about Afghanistan's topography and caves, contributed to the success of the operation and rout of the Taliban. Two weeks after the attacks, Putin was invited to make a speech to a Special Session of the Bundestag, the first ever by a Russian head of state to the German parliament.<ref>http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/40168</ref> Among the numerous subjects Putin addressed in fluent German was peace and stability in the common European home:

On September 9, 2001, two days before the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]], Putin had telephoned President [[George W. Bush]] to warn that Russian intelligence had detected signs of an incipient terrorist campaign, something long in preparation, coming out of Afghanistan.<ref>[https://responsiblestatecraft.org/russia-terror-attack/ Connecting dots: What Russia can learn from the US after 9/11], [[George Beebe]], ''[[Responsible Statecraft]]'', Mar 26, 2024. responsiblestatecraft.org</ref> Within hours after the attacks, Vladimir Putin was the first foreign leader to call President [[George W. Bush]] and offer sympathy and support for what became the first invocation of NATO Article V, "an attack against one is an attack against all."<ref>https://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/09/10/ar911.russia.putin/index.html</ref> Putin announced a five-point plan to support the [[war on terror]], pledging that the Russian government would (1) share intelligence with their American counterparts, (2) open Russian airspace for flights providing humanitarian assistance, (3) cooperate with Russia's Central Asian allies in [[Uzbekistan]] and [[Kyrgyzstan]] to provide similar kinds of airspace access to American flights, (4) participate in international search and rescue efforts, and (5) increase direct assistance—humanitarian as well as military assistance—to the Afghan Northern Alliance. The intelligence Putin shared, including data that helped American forces find their way around [[Kabul]] and logistical information about Afghanistan's topography and caves, contributed to the success of the operation and rout of the Taliban. Two weeks after the attacks, Putin was invited to make a speech to a Special Session of the Bundestag, the first ever by a Russian head of state to the German parliament.<ref>http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/40168</ref> Among the numerous subjects Putin addressed in fluent German was peace and stability in the common European home:

The coordinating agencies set up so far do not offer Russia real opportunities for taking part in drafting and making decisions. Today decisions are often taken, in principle, without our participation, and we are only urged afterwards to support such decisions. After that they talk again about loyalty to NATO. They even say that such decisions cannot be implemented without Russia. Let us ask ourselves: is this normal? Is this true partnership?

The coordinating agencies set up so far do not offer Russia real opportunities for taking part in drafting and making decisions. Today decisions are often taken, in principle, without our participation, and we are only urged afterwards to support such decisions. After that they talk again about loyalty to NATO. They even say that such decisions cannot be implemented without Russia. Let us ask ourselves: is this normal? Is this true partnership?