Medvedev: Russia could have joined NATO, and then the bombing of Belgrade happened…

Russia’s entry into NATO after the collapse of the USSR could have been one of the scenarios for the development of events, said Deputy Head of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev.

– After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia moved towards rapprochement with the West. Our country’s entry into NATO could have been one of the scenarios for the development of events – he said in an interview with the “Argumenti i fakti” portal.

The point was to find an opportunity to reduce the division of Europe into opposing military blocs, in order to overcome the consequences of the Cold War and find a common idea as a basis for strengthening collective security, noted Medvedev.

– That chance was missed. The events in Yugoslavia and the bombing of Belgrade, in violation of all norms of international law, finally dispelled the former illusions. Although, I think that, as the heirs of the USSR, we would not have been accepted into the Alliance even in the nineties. It is scary, dangerous: because it is a big, albeit weakened, huge, but unpredictable country – said Medvedev.