NATO expansion to the eastern flank has been halted.
Experts say that NATO does not need to show off its military power further, as this poses a direct threat to Russia's national security.
According to TASS on August 14, former US Marine Corps intelligence analyst and former weapons of mass destruction inspector of the United Nations Special Commission on Iraq - Scott Ritter, in an interview with the news agency, said that NATO's expansion of the eastern flank has stopped and will not be able to continue.
“I believe that NATO’s expansion to the east has stopped and will not continue. Even Russia is not talking about retreating on this issue, which means that I think Russia understands the reality: as long as NATO exists, it will continue to maintain its current configuration,” said Scott Ritter. “However, what the Russians are talking about is starting to withdraw military resources that have been pushed eastward with NATO’s expansion.”
Ritter recalled the terms under which the first Soviet president, Mikhail Gorbachev, negotiated German reunification: “not an inch to the east.”
"NATO was not allowed to expand. Even after German reunification, no troops were allowed to enter East Germany. Yet NATO expanded, and now we have US troops in Poland," Scott Ritter analyzed.
The US has missile defence systems in Poland and Romania, he said. “I believe the Russians have said: it is better to withdraw these resources back to the 1997 lines.”
Mr Ritter noted that these countries may be members of NATO and have their own armed forces. “They are protected by Article 5 of the alliance, but NATO does not need to show off its military might further, because this poses a direct threat to Russia’s national security,” Mr Ritter said.
"For peace and stability in Europe, the national security interests of all parties must be respected. Therefore, I think NATO expansion has stopped, and we will see what the future of NATO will be," the expert said.
