Russia provides conditions: NATO expansion recognized as the cause of the war!

Russia provides conditions: NATO expansion recognized as the cause of the war!

Moskau, Russland - On June 11, 2025, Russia made it clear that it regarded a stop of the NATO east extension as a central prerequisite for an end to the Ukraine War. Vice Foreign Minister Sergei Rjabkow expressed this claim to the city news agency TASS. He emphasized that the United States has to show respect for the “very important interests of Russia”. According to Rjabkow, it is crucial to take practical steps to eliminate the causes of security contradictions between the USA and Russia.

NATO east expansion is considered an essential problem by Moscow in order to enclose the conflict in the euroatlantic area. Rjabkow refers to a memorandum from December 2021, in which Russia demands the withdrawal of troops to new NATO member states and a stop for the admission of new members. This claim remains valid to this day. In the past, NATO has refused to accept this ultimatum.

Details on NATO expansion

Since 1997, 14 countries of NATO have joined, including Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria, the Baltic States as well as Finland and Sweden recently. In total, NATO NOW has 32 members. Rjabkow sees the possible recording of Ukraine in NATO and the existing NATO infrastructure on the eastern flank as the main reasons for the current conflict. This must be solved in order to achieve a normalization of relationships.

In this context, the Pentagon plans to deduct about 10,000 soldiers from Eastern Europe, which Rjabkow sees as a potential contribution to the safety of the entire continent. He also announced an early third meeting between Russia and the United States to improve diplomatic relationships, but did not name a precise date.

historical background of NATO Russia relationships

In order to better understand the current tensions, it is important to refer to the NATO Russia basic file from May 1997, which should create a basis for peace in Europe. This basic act was signed by US President Bill Clinton and the then Russian President Boris Jelzin and should promote a strong and stable partnership between the two parties. However, there have been hardly any discussions at this level since the annexation of the Crimea in 2014.

One of the central agreements of the basic files states that Russia has no veto law about admission to new members in NATO. Although Yeltsin was originally against a NATO east extension, he agreed to the basic acts because NATO gave him assurances regarding the stationing of nuclear weapons in new Member States.