Former head of US State Department: Russia should have been included in the team

Former US Secretary of State James Baker said the United States should have asked Russia to join NATO after the end of the Cold War.

"We should have given Russia the possibility to join NATO after the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union, which is both a political alliance and alliance security," TASS cited Baker, who headed the US State Department from 1989 to 1992."Russia should have been given the same treatment as Germany and Japan after World War II," Baker said.According to him, the relations between the United States and Russia were very good for 15 years - during the time of Boris Yeltsin and the first years of Vladimir Putin in power.

"We should have given Russia the possibility to join NATO after the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union, which is both a political alliance and alliance security," TASS cited Baker, who headed the US State Department from 1989 to 1992.

"Russia should have been given the same treatment as Germany and Japan after World War II," Baker said.

According to him, the relations between the United States and Russia were very good for 15 years - during the time of Boris Yeltsin and the first years of Vladimir Putin in power.