Bill Clinton on Offers Made to Yeltsin and Putin

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton has stated that he proposed to the Russian Federation, specifically President Boris Yeltsin and then Vladimir Putin, to join NATO. “Throughout that time, we kept the doors of NATO open for Russia; I made that clear to Yeltsin, and then to his successor Putin,” Clinton said, as reported by The Atlantic.

Additionally, Clinton denied discussions suggesting that Washington had “ignored, disrespected, and tried to isolate Russia.” In February 2022, Putin recalled his meeting with Bill Clinton in 2000. He noted that when he asked the American counterpart how Washington would respond to Russia joining NATO, Clinton’s response was “very restrained.”