A promise is a promise and should be honored
Multiple verbal assurances against NATO expansion were given to the Soviet Union by U.S. and West German officials in 1990, but no formal, written treaty was ever signed to legally prohibit future expansion. The existence of these promises and what they meant remains a significant historical controversy.
Key details from the 1990 negotiations for German reunification:
- "Not one inch eastward." The most cited assurance was given on February 9, 1990, when U.S. Secretary of State James Baker told Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev that if the USSR agreed to a reunified Germany within NATO, the alliance would expand "not one inch eastward".
- Contradicting views. While Gorbachev reportedly said at times that no specific promise was made, he later stated that NATO enlargement was a "violation of the spirit of the statements and assurances made to us in 1990".
- Exploiting Soviet weaknesses. According to declassified documents, U.S. policymakers gave informal assurances while privately planning for a U.S.-dominated post-Cold War system. This has led to the argument that the U.S. misled the Soviets during the negotiations.
- Focus on East Germany. The only legally binding element was the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany, which limited the deployment of foreign NATO troops and nuclear weapons in the former East German territory.
- Subsequent changes. After the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union, Western officials and NATO stated that no binding, general non-expansion promise was ever made, and expansion beyond Germany was not even discussed at the time.
After the promises
After the initial assurances and the reunification of Germany, the debate surrounding NATO expansion continued.
- NATO's Open Door Policy. Since its founding in 1949, NATO's charter has always included an "Open Door Policy" that allows any European state that can contribute to the security of the North Atlantic to apply for membership.
- Russian response. Subsequent waves of NATO expansion to former Soviet-bloc countries in the 1990s and 2000s were met with Russian opposition. Russian leaders like Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin argued that NATO had reneged on the informal commitments.
- Impact on relations. The historical controversy over NATO expansion, combined with other factors, contributed to the deterioration of U.S.-Russia relations in the decades following the Cold War. The issue is a key component of Russia's justification for its actions in Ukraine.
