(MENAFN) Former US President Bill Clinton assured Russian President Vladimir Putin that he would contemplate the possibility of Russia joining NATO, according to recently declassified documents.

Clinton also insisted that the military alliance’s expansion would not pose a threat to Moscow, the files indicate.

These remarks were made during a meeting between the two leaders at the Kremlin on June 4, 2000, as detailed in White House records released on Thursday by the National Security Archive, an independent research organization based at George Washington University.

Clinton is quoted as saying, “From the outset of the NATO enlargement process, I knew that it could be a problem for Russia. I was sensitive to this, and I want it understood that NATO enlargement does not threaten Russia in any way.”

He further acknowledged that “domestic considerations inside Russia” made membership difficult, but expressed hope that eventually, Russia “should be a part of every organization that holds the civilized world together.”

The documents also reveal that Putin expressed his “support” for the proposal.

In an interview last year with an American journalist, Putin mentioned raising this topic with Clinton.

According to Putin, although Clinton initially agreed, he later abandoned the idea after consulting with his advisers.

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