Yeltsin and Putin felt the same way, early on. Putin petitioned to join NATO in the early '00s. In fact, they’d already been in a functional partnership with NATO since 1992, under the “Partnership for Peace” initiative. This became the backbone of US/Russia collaboration in space as well as their cooperative efforts during the early War on Terror.
It wasn’t until the Orange Revolution in Ukraine, back in '06, that relations began to break down
Yeltsin and Putin felt the same way, early on. Putin petitioned to join NATO in the early '00s. In fact, they’d already been in a functional partnership with NATO since 1992, under the “Partnership for Peace” initiative. This became the backbone of US/Russia collaboration in space as well as their cooperative efforts during the early War on Terror.
It wasn’t until the Orange Revolution in Ukraine, back in '06, that relations began to break down