BRUSSELS, June 4. /TASS/. NATO chiefs are unaware if in 2000 the Russian and US Presidents Vladimir Putin and Bill Clinton discussed Russia’s accession to the military alliance, TASS was told at NATO headquarters on Friday.
"We have no information on the issue," an official said when asked to comment on Putin’s words in the interview to American film director Oliver Stone.
The Russian president informed that he suggested to Clinton that he should consider an option of Russia’s accession to NATO.
"I remember one of our last meetings with President Clinton when he came to Moscow. During the meeting I said, ‘we should consider an option that Russia might join NATO.’ Clinton said, ‘Why not?’," Putin said, noting that "the US delegation got very nervous."
"Have you applied?" asked Stone. The Russian president just laughed.
On Saturday, US magazine Politico released preview clips of The Putin Interviews documentary, which premieres on Showtime on June 12-15.
Different Western and Russian sources reported that the issue of Russia’s possible accession to NATO, in order to avoid further confrontation in Europe, had been raised at closed diplomatic consultations of Russia and the United States at least twice in recent 30 years - first in early 1990s and then in early 2000s.