In a recent interview, former NATO chief George Robertson detailed his interactions with Russian President Vladimir Putin and discussed the dramatic shift in Putin’s attitude towards NATO and the West. Over 20 years ago, Russia and NATO were discussing cooperation, but today’s geopolitical landscape is starkly different. Robertson recalls Putin expressing interest in joining NATO and acknowledging Ukraine’s right to choose its own security arrangements, contrasting sharply with current events. Robertson emphasizes the importance of Western unity and strength in response to Russian aggression and warns of the global consequences should authoritarian regimes rewrite the rules-based order.
- Former NATO chief George Robertson discussed his past interactions with Vladimir Putin and the changes in Putin’s stance towards NATO and the West.
- Putin previously showed interest in Russia joining NATO and respected Ukraine as a sovereign state with the right to decide on its security.
- Robertson highlights a shift in Putin’s view, from a cooperative stance to seeing NATO as a threat, fueled by a combination of ego, ambition, and perceived provocations.
- The interview suggests that the European Union’s influence on former communist countries posed a greater perceived threat to Putin than NATO’s expansion.
- Russian claims of a Western promise not to expand NATO eastward are disputed, as no formal agreement or treaty to that effect exists.
- Putin signed the Rome declaration affirming territorial integrity and non-interference, which Robertson points out contradicts current Russian actions.
- Despite current challenges, Robertson calls for firmness and unity in the West and warns of the global impact should authoritarian powers like Russia dictate the international order.
- Robertson believes that Western democracies need to remind their citizens of the high stakes involved in Ukraine to maintain support and unity.
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