Go to the media bankBoris Yeltsin and Bill Clinton. File photoMOSCOW, 19 Sep. Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin allegedly answered in the negative when asked if he thought Washington would strike the country as a result of NATO's eastward expansion, former US President Bill Clinton told CNN.
" I looked at him (at Yeltsin. — Approx. Ed.) and asked: «Do you really think that I will use the air base in Poland to bomb Russia?», To which he said: «No, but many fragile old women in European Russia believe this because their historical memory includes memories of Hitler, and their grandparents of Napoleon. I replied that I admit it,» Clinton explained.
At the same time, the American politician added that he did not consider the United States responsible for the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine due to the inclusion of the states of Central and Eastern Europe in the bloc. On February 24, Russia began a special military operation in Ukraine. 
NATO admitted that it had been planning eastward expansion for several years back