Putin: The USSR and Russia twice declared their readiness to join NATO, but...

The USSR and then Russia twice declared their readiness to join NATO, but both times were rejected "on the threshold".

As reported by BAKU.WS with reference to TASS, this was stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the plenary session of the "Valdai".

"Our country, seeking to eliminate the grounds for bloc confrontation, to create a common security space, twice even declared its readiness to join NATO. The first time was in 1954, during the USSR era. It was done then. And the second time was during US President Bill Clinton's visit to Moscow. I had already mentioned this in 2000, when we also talked about this topic. And both times we essentially received a rejection, and right from the threshold," he said.

The Russian leader also warned Europe that in the United States, public demand has led to a rather radical change in the political vector, and this example could be contagious.

The President of the Russian Federation responded to attempts of Western hegemony with a Russian proverb "against a crowbar there is no defense except another crowbar." He emphasized that global governance institutions created in the previous era "have lost their effectiveness."

In addition, the Russian leader noted that in a multipolar world, all countries need to find points where their interests coincide, and no one is ready anymore to play by rules set somewhere "across the oceans."

The current situation in the world, where everything is changing very quickly and often radically, requires being ready for anything. At the same time, the responsibility of each person is especially great, and the stakes in the current state of affairs are "extremely high," the President of the Russian Federation pointed out.

The President of Russia is also confident that multipolarity in the modern world has already taken shape. The head of state noted that the annual report of the Valdai Club is dedicated to the problem of a multipolar, polycentric world. This topic has long been on the agenda, but now it deserves special attention, Putin indicated.