Untrue. No expansion of NATO eastward only covered East Germany. Gorbachev, the head of the Soviet Union confirmed this in later interviews. Also, NATO expansion is voluntary, as opposed to joining Russia, which always seems to be at the point of a gun. As to threatening Russia, does anyone seriously believe NATO was going to invade a nuclear Russia?
The topic of “NATO expansion” was not discussed at all, and it wasn’t brought up in those years. I say this with full responsibility. Not a singe Eastern European country raised the issue, not even after the Warsaw Pact ceased to exist in 1991. Western leaders didn’t bring it up, either. Another issue we brought up was discussed: making sure that NATO’s military structures would not advance and that additional armed forces from the alliance would not be deployed on the territory of the then-GDR after German reunification. Baker’s statement, mentioned in your question, was made in that context. Kohl and [German Vice Chancellor Hans-Dietrich] Genscher talked about it.
Mikhail Gorbachev: I am against all walls Oct 16 2014
https://www.rbth.com/international/2014/10/16/mikhail_gorbachev_i_am_against_all_walls_40673.html
There are other statements which contradict this link. As I said there was nothing in writing and if it’s not in writing it’s 99% of the time worthless.
To suggest this is all Russia’s and not anything the west has done fault is being disingenuous. Both sides have behaved irrationally at times. Russia invading the Ukraine being one of them.
I’m for America first, not NATO first and this mess is not in our interests. Let the Ukraine and Russia fight their war and for once in this century the US should stay out of yet another mindless, unnecessary and not in our interests war. Starting WWIII and a nuclear war over the Ukraine is the height is stupidity by both sides.