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→Russia reaction
After the Soviet Union collapsed depriving NATO of its original reason for existence, skeptics of the alliance included [[liberal]]s as much as [[conservative]]s. In 1998, 10 Democratic Senators joined nine Republicans in opposing the first, fateful round of NATO enlargement with [[Hungary]], the [[Czech Republic]], and [[Poland]] added, extending the alliance to Russia's border. Among the dissenters was Senator [[Paul Wellstone]] of Minnesota. In between voting against the first Iraq war in 1991 and the second after Sept. 11, Sen. Wellstone warned that expanding NATO would jeopardize Europe's hard-won gains. “There is peace between states in Europe, between nations in Europe, for the first time in centuries,” he said. “We do not have a divided Europe, and I worry about a NATO expansion which could redivide Europe and again poison relations with Russia.”<ref>https://quincyinst.org/2021/06/14/sorry-liberals-but-you-really-shouldnt-love-nato/</ref>
After the Soviet Union collapsed depriving NATO of its original reason for existence, skeptics of the alliance included [[liberal]]s as much as [[conservative]]s. In 1998, 10 Democratic Senators joined nine Republicans in opposing the first, fateful round of NATO enlargement with [[Hungary]], the [[Czech Republic]], and [[Poland]] added, extending the alliance to Russia's border. Among the dissenters was Senator [[Paul Wellstone]] of Minnesota. In between voting against the first Iraq war in 1991 and the second after Sept. 11, Sen. Wellstone warned that expanding NATO would jeopardize Europe's hard-won gains. “There is peace between states in Europe, between nations in Europe, for the first time in centuries,” he said. “We do not have a divided Europe, and I worry about a NATO expansion which could redivide Europe and again poison relations with Russia.”<ref>https://quincyinst.org/2021/06/14/sorry-liberals-but-you-really-shouldnt-love-nato/</ref>
[[Vladimir Putin]] assumed office as the president of Russia on the last day of 1999. In an interview with David Frost broadcast on the [[BBC]] on March 13, 2000, Putin expressed his desire to see Russia join NATO:<ref>https://www.gazeta.ru/2001/02/28/putin_i_bbc.shtml</ref>
{{quotebox-float|'''Frost: Tell me about your views on NATO, if you would. Do you see NATO as a potential partner, or rival, or an enemy?'''
Putin: Russia is a part of European culture. I simply cannot see my country isolated from Europe, from what we often describe as the civilized world. That is why it is hard for me to regard NATO as an enemy. I think that such a perception has nothing good in store for Russia and the rest of the world. ...
We strive for equal cooperation, partnership, we believe that it is possible to speak even about higher levels of integration with NATO. But only, I repeat, if Russia is an equal partner. As you know, we constantly express our negative attitude to NATO's expansion to the East. ...
'''Frost: Is it possible that Russia will ever join NATO?'''
Putin: Why not? I do not rule out such a possibility. I repeat, on condition that Russia's interests are going to be taken into account, if Russia becomes a full-fledged partner. I want to specially emphasize this. ...
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. ...}}
In 2004 the Baltic states - [[Latvia]], [[Lithuania]], and [[Estonia]] joined NATO, setting up another common border between the Russian Federation and a NATO state. Three years later, at the Munich Security Conference, Putin declared, “We have the right to ask: against whom is this [NATO] expansion intended? And what happened to the assurances our western partners made after the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact? Where are those declarations today? No one even remembers them.”
at the February [[Putin 2007 Munich Security Council speech|2007 Munich Security Conference President Putin]] said,
{{quotebox-float|"I think it is obvious that NATO expansion does not have any relation with the modernization of the alliance itself or with ensuring security in Europe. On the contrary, it represents a serious provocation that reduces the level of mutual trust. And we have the right to ask: Against whom is this expansion intended? And what happened to the assurances our western partners made after the dissolution of the [[Warsaw Pact]]? No one even remembers them."<ref>https://aldeilis.net/english/putins-historical-speech-munich-conference-security-policy-2007/</ref> <ref>https://scheerpost.com/2023/02/19/patrick-lawrence-munich-as-propaganda-fest</ref>}}
In 2008 NATO said Ukraine and Georgia would become members. Four other [[Eastern Europe]]an states joined NATO in 2009.
==References==
==References==