Kissinger: Promise to Gorbachev not to expand NATO was only verbal

Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger acknowledged that the United States had promised Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev not to expand NATO to the East. However, that was only a verbal promise, Kissinger said during a conversation with Russian pranksters Vovan (Vladimir Kuznetsov) and Lexus (Alexey Stolyarov). 

The video of the conversation was published by the Zvezda TV channel.

According to Kissinger, there was no formal commitment documented in written agreements - it was just a personal promise from then head of the State Department, James Baker.

“I know it's true, but it's never been documented. So we are right to say that there was no formal commitment,” Kissinger said.

Henry Kissinger earlier said that European countries were opposed to Ukraine's accession to NATO. Opponents of Ukraine's entry into the alliance explained that the issue required careful analysis, the politician added.