Mikhail Gorbachev once promised us that they would not expand NATO, the Russian president recalled

ST. PETERSBURG, July 26. /TASS/. Western countries promised former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev that NATO would not expand eastward, but they did not care about that promise or Moscow's security concerns, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with Russian Navy service members.

"They once promised us, Mikhail Gorbachev, that they would not expand NATO. Instead, it was one round of expansion after another, despite our repeated protests and objections. They didn't care about their promises or the Russian Federation's security interests," he said.