For a long time, US imperialism has been pushing NATO expansion right up to the borders of Russia. Below is an excerpt of A National Security Strategy of Engagement and Enlargement issued on Feb. 1, 1996, during the first Clinton Administration.
Full text is at web site <http://nssarchive.us/NSSR/1996.pdf>
Promoting Democracy p. 32
“Russia is a key state in this regard. If we can support and help consolidate democratic and market reforms in Russia — and in the other new independent states — we can help turn a former threat into a region of valued diplomatic and economic partnership.
“Our intensified interaction with Ukraine has helped move that country onto the path of economic reform, which is critical to its long-term stability. In addition, our efforts in Russia, Ukraine and the other states support and facilitate our efforts to achieve continued reductions in nuclear arms and compliance with international nonproliferation accords.
“The new democracies in Central and Eastern Europe are another clear example, given their proximity to the great democratic powers of Western Europe, their importance to our security and their potential markets. Eventual integration into European security and economic organizations, such as NATO and the EU, will help lock in and preserve the impressive progress in instituting democratic and market-economic reforms that these nations have made. “
