In February 2007, Putin, in an anti-Western tirade delivered in Munich, declared: “I think it is obvious that NATO expansion does not have any relation with the modernization of the Alliance itself or with ensuring security in Europe. On the contrary, it represents a serious provocation that reduces the level of mutual trust.”
在2007年2月于慕尼黑发表的一篇措辞激烈的长篇演讲中，普京宣称：“我认为非常明显的是北约东扩与该联盟自身的现代化或确保欧洲的安全都无关。相反，它是一种损害互信的严重挑衅。”