(February 25, 2025 at 1:41 pm)Mister Agenda Wrote:(February 22, 2025 at 2:09 am)Belacqua Wrote: In Russia, Gorbachev is considered to be a Chamberlain-like figure, who naively accepted false promises in exchange for "peace in our time."
He was promised that in exchange for the peaceful reunification of Germany, NATO would never expand even one inch to the east. This was promised by Helmut Kohl, James Baker, and Robert Gates.
However, as soon as the next President got into office the promise was broken.
So the Russians have learned that the US doesn't keep its promises.
Wouldn't that promise (can't find a formal agreement on that) have been made to the Soviet Union, not the Russian Federation?
Yes, that's a good point.
But since it was a promise made concerning the break-up of the USSR, Gorbachev clearly expected it to last. It was kind of a deal: you give up your claim to these former territories, and we'll keep our military alliance out.
