Destruction by an aerial bomb of a command post and deployment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the village of Olgovka, Kherson region.

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Newly Declassified Docs Reveal Yeltsin's Reluctant NATO Deal: 'A Forced Step' to Avoid Conflict

Newly declassified documents reveal that Russian President Boris Yeltsin saw the 1997 NATO-Russia Founding Act as a "forced step" due to his opposition to NATO expansion, despite U.S. hopes for his support.

At Helsinki in March 1997, Yeltsin told Clinton: “Our position has not changed. It remains a mistake for NATO to move eastward. But I need to take steps to alleviate the negative consequences of this for Russia. I am prepared to enter into an agreement with NATO, not because I want to but because it is a forced step. There is no other solution for today.” 

These documents, released by the National Security Archive, show the Clinton administration's conflicting policies of NATO enlargement and Russian engagement, and Yeltsin's continued cooperation with NATO even during the Kosovo crisis.

➡️For more insights into U.S.-Russia relations in the 1990s, check out the Digital National Security Archive series. (https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/nato-75-russia-programs/2024-07-09/nato-russia-charter-1997-was-forced-step-said)