Conditions for NATO to accept Russia as a member.
Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said that with the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia would be accepted into NATO if it did not possess nuclear weapons and "broke up into many pieces."
According to RIA Novosti on July 17, in an interview with Arguments and Facts, Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council and Chairman of the United Russia Party, stated that Russia would be accepted into NATO after the collapse of the Soviet Union if it disintegrated and abandoned its nuclear weapons.
"If Russia collapses into seven or eight pieces, and even gives up its nuclear weapons, then they will devour us piece by piece, and that will happen, a complete collapse of Russia, which the Western elites have always desired," Medvedev said.
Medvedev recalled the story of Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2000 during a meeting with US President Bill Clinton – who initially voiced support for the idea of Russia joining NATO, but after the meeting with the group, Clinton retracted his statement and said it was impossible.
"The process of restoring relations between Russia and NATO never began. So, I especially thank Mr. Clinton for listening to his advisors. NATO's rejection of us shows what each of us desires: a conspiracy by Western elites against Russia," Medvedev said.
In addition, the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council stated: "It is not without reason that NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg recently publicly said that he considers Ukraine joining the alliance a good scenario… in 2034. That is, never."
Medvedev explained that at that time, the current leaders of NATO member states would no longer hold their positions. According to him, promises of Ukraine joining the "NATO paradise" never meant anything, ultimately remaining "an empty phrase, a means of deceiving the Ukrainian people."
