Expansion Quote by John Mearsheimer

Russia's number-one goal is to pull apart the E.U., to pull apart NATO.

— Chris Murphy

NATO expansion and Russian expansion - one leads to the other, and one reflects the other.

— Jeremy Corbyn

I think if NATO haven't expanded, we would have a no-man's zone between the E.U. and NATO and Russia, and that would be very…

— Zbigniew Brzezinski

A stronger E.U. of defence makes NATO stronger.

— Federica Mogherini

Okay, NATO expanded to East Berlin and East Germany. Under [Bill] Clinton NATO expanded further, to the former Russian satellites. In 2008 NATO formally…

— Noam Chomsky

Since the mid-1990s, Russian leaders have adamantly opposed NATO enlargement, and in recent years, they have made it clear that they would not stand…

— John Mearsheimer

The E.U.'s Eastern Partnership programme is designed to bind the so-called focus states tightly to itself, shutting down the possibility of co-operation with Russia.

— Sergei Lavrov

We need additional funding for more U.S. combat brigades in Europe. NATO needs to continue to modernize. It is starting to show with the…

— Michael Leiter

Under Vladimir Putin, Russia has embarked on a systematic challenge to the West. The goal is to weaken the bonds between Europe and the…

— Ivo Daalder

Russia is a part of European culture. Therefore, it is with difficulty that I imagine NATO as an enemy.

— Vladimir Putin

Russia wants stability along its Western borders, neighbors who treat their Russian minorities with respect and prosperous trading partners. NATO enlargement promotes such developments.

— Antony Blinken

True, Putin's Russia does not dream of joining the E.U., but Russia's stability depends on preserving the European nature of its regime.

— Ivan Krastev