It is not up to NATO or Russia to decide what the former eastern block and former soviet states accede to. If they want to join NATO (and they do, for very obvi

It is not up to NATO or Russia to decide what the former eastern block and former soviet states accede to. If they want to join NATO (and they do, for very obvious reasons), they can. Only in the old Cold War mindset is everything centrally determined by the head of state of some power block. Such a promise, if it existed, which it hasn't, wouldn't be valid anyway. My friend and I can't decide the bookclub is off limits to you. That's between you and the book club.