NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the alliance’s enlargement to the east was not a provocation against Russia, dismissing such assessments as the concept of spheres of influence that should be left behind.
"It is up for the 29 allies and an applicant country to decide if and when to join. No one else has a say," he stressed.
The NATO Secretary General noted he often hears "If Ukraine joins, If North Macedonia joins, if Georgia joins, that is a provocation against Russia, it is an aggressive action against Russia."
"This concept is totally wrong because I strongly believe every nation has the right to decide its own path, and NATO totally respects that regardless whether they work for membership in NATO or they say we are neutral," Sputnik cited Stoltenberg as saying.
