> Russia themselves asked to join but were rejected. "In 1991, as the Soviet Union was dissolved, Russian president Boris Yeltsin sent a letter to NATO, sugges

> Russia themselves asked to join but were rejected. "In 1991, as the Soviet Union was dissolved, Russian president Boris Yeltsin sent a letter to NATO, suggesting that Russia's long-term aim was to join NATO." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia%E2%80%93NATO_relations#:~:text=In%201991%2C%20as%20the%20Soviet,aim%20was%20to%20join%20NATO https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia%E2%80%93NATO_relations#.... A lot has happened since then.