NATO expansion after 1997

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Russia is "building up forces on the border with Ukraine and moving closer to NATO's doorstep."

"In many ways, this means Russian forces are moving closer to NATO's doorstep," Austin said.

Let's just look at a map of Europe showing NATO's borders in 1997 and NATO's current borders.

I think no comments are needed.

Actually, it is not at all clear what goals NATO still exists for? I understand what the US benefits. They continue to sell their weapons to their satellites. The US continues to scare the satellites with the "Russian threat" in order to be able to continue to control them. But I don't understand why Europe likes the role of a US satellite so much? Apparently this is already something from the field of masochism.

First Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said that NATO exists solely as a defensive alliance, and some of the proposals of the Russian Federation, made at the Russia-NATO Council meeting, are inappropriate.

However, it is completely unclear who NATO plans to defend against? The Warsaw Pact, which was an opponent of NATO, disappeared back in 1991.

Besides, the inhabitants of Iraq, Afghanistan, Serbia (and indeed the former Yugoslavia) are unlikely to agree that NATO defended itself against them. After all, these countries did not attack any of the NATO countries!

I think it's time for Europe to stop lying and recognize that NATO exists to start a war against Russia if the moment is right.