I can hear your Russian accent and the noise of you banging away even from here, Putinist:
Posted on 05/04/2022 7:56:45 AM PDT by JonPreston
Vladimir Putin wanted Russia to join Nato but did not want his country to have to go through the usual application process and stand in line “with a lot of countries that don’t matter”, according to a former secretary general of the transatlantic alliance.
George Robertson, a former Labour defence secretary who led Nato between 1999 and 2003, said Putin made it clear at their first meeting that he wanted Russia to be part of western Europe. “They wanted to be part of that secure, stable prosperous west that Russia was out of at the time,” he said.
The account chimes with what Putin told the late David Frost in a BBC interview shortly before he was first inaugurated as Russian president more than 21 years ago. Putin told Frost he would not rule out joining Nato “if and when Russia’s views are taken into account as those of an equal partner”.
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
Your article is from 1999-2003 and I remember this story. The reason Putin did not want to go through the NATO application process is because, as part of the process, you must prove that you have free elections and don't persecute minorities.
As Russia does not have free election and prosecutes minorities (including religious minorities), they would never qualify for NATO membership.
The article is from 11/4/21, and it’s posted clearly.
But Turkey is a member of NATO...
Of course they have free elections and don’t persecute minorities...
/s
He is reporting events that occurred during his tenure which is from 1999-2003. I read this story many years ago as well. This is not recent with Trump supposedly luring Putin to join NATO.
Calm down. The news is that Putin sought peace by joining NATO. Many don’t know that.
Turkey joined in 1952 and was a better democracy than Russia which was a totalitarian terror regime at the time. Turkey today is still a better Democracy than Russia, which says a lot about them.
Bizarrely, you interpret Russia demanding special treatment "over other countries that don't matter," as a peace offering from Putin.
Obviously this was just cynical BS from Putin during that time and not a serious offer to join NATO. Membership was always open to Russia, by the way, as it is to any country: if they go through the process.
Of course it was an effort to seek peace. There was no other reason.
“persecute minorities”
How did Turkey get in?
Without a permanent enemy, NATO has to reason to exist. There are thousands employed by NATO, and tens of thousands employed indirectly.
So despite numerous gestures of friendship and openess, we systematically cultivated Russia as the permanent enemy.
We finally convinced them that they either had to be a submissive administrative district of DC and the globalists (like Ukraine is) Or they had to be the enemy.
And now here we are.
Neocons here are striking quick these day!
Turkey invaded Northern Cyprus in 1974, and is threatening to annex it into Turkey.
I can hear your Russian accent and the noise of you banging away even from here, Putinist:
NATO exists to destroy Russia so I don’t see why they would let Putin join. Frankly at best it’s a globalist money pit and at worst an evil globalist war machine and should have been disbanded after the fall of Soviet Union.
Trump through out 60 Russian diplomats and slapped heavyy sanctions on Putin. Biden reversed all of this in march 21.
I would say it was still seeking peace. Just peace with ego. Not saying NATO was wrong for saying “no there are rules and you’ve got to follow them.” But it is important to keep in mind that once upon a time Putin didn’t define himself in opposition to NATO.
Amongst other things such as not truly having freedom of religion.
Russia! Russia! Russia!!!
This is the same tactic CNN & the Neocons did to Trump x 4 years when he was in office.
Shoo Bushie. Your politics are over.
Freedom of religion? You mean like Germany, like the Brits? Like us?
You should review that statement in light of the last 5 years.
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