CO 68 3 7 O62 IFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2017-13804 Doc No C06837062 Date 10 19 2021 WHITE HOUSE SITUATION ROOM MO 12 12 • 94 I I IO NO 1460024007 PAGE RELEASE IN FULL NATIONAL SECU ITY COUNCIL · L • - 1- -• I 'l't l - rr - J '- t - - '--- •c c ·'7 • '- -r---' l - le ' ' ' - - t- D- C 1 I C L« t I I • I -y · lc i__ UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2017-13804 Doc No C06837062 Date 10 19 2021 2 CO 68 3 7 O68 FIED U S Department of State Case No F-2017-13804 Doc No C06837068 Date 10 19 2021 WHITE HOUSE SITUATION ROOM MO 12 12 '94 11 10 NO 1460024007 PAGE RELEASE IN FULLJ ' PRIVACY CHANNEL MESSAGE FOR RESIDENT YELTSIN FROM PRESIDENT CLINTON AMBASSADOR PICKERING PLEASE DELIVER ·T·HE FOLLOWING LE TER AND THE RUSSIAN TRANSLATION IMMEDIATELY UPON DELIVERY DEAR BORIS I I AM WRITING O YOU AFTER MY RETURN FROM BUDAPEST BECAUSE I AM CONCERNED ABOUT BOTH THE TONE AND THE SUBSTANCE OF YOUR PUBLIC COMMENTS ON EUROPEAN SECURITY ISSUES AND EVEN ON THE NATURE OF MY OWN PARTICIPATION THERE I WANT YOU T0°KNOW MY PERSONAL VIEWS ON THESE ISSUES WITH THE AIM OF PROMOTING A MORE PRODUCTIVE DIALOGUE THAN THE ONE WE HAVE HAD DURING THE PAST FE_W DAYS I THINK YOU WILL CONCUR THAT WE NEED A FULLER UNDERSTANDING OF OUR RESPECTIVE VIEWS AND THAT WErSHOULp DEDICATE OURSELVES TO A MORE CONSTRUCTIVE PUBLIC DISCUSSION IN THE FUTURE SPECIFICALLY I WAS P Z ED AND DISAPPOINTED THAT YOU CHOSE WITHOUT ADVANCE WORD AND CONSULTATION TO CRITICIZE PUBLICLY NATO'S DECISIONS ON ITS FUTURE AND THE ROLE OF THE ONITED•STATES IN EUROPE ALONG WITH RUSSIA'S SUDDEN REFUSAL ON DECEMBER 1 TO SIGN THE PARTNERSHIP FOR PEACE DOCUMENTS THESE ACTIONS ARE INCONSISTENT WITH THE GOOD RELATION HIP OUR GOVER ENTS AND YOU AND I PERSON ALLY HAVE DEVELOPED DURING THE PAST TWO YEARS WHEN WE MET IN SEPTEMBER YOU MADE CLEAR RUSSIA'S SENSITIVITIES OVER THE ISSUE OF NATO'S EXPANSION AND I PLEDGED AMONG OTHER THINGS TO ENSURE NO SURPRISES FOR YOU AS WE BEGAN THE FIRST PRELIMINARY I DISCUSSIONS LEADING TO THE DECEMBER 1 NATO MEETING IN BRUSSELS AS I WR OTE YOU LAST WEEk I FEEL WE ADHERED SCRUPULOUSLY TO THAT PLEDGE · WHILE l UNDERSTOOD FROM OUR EXCHANGE OF LETTERS BEFORE BUDAPEST THAT YOU HARBORED CONCERNS ABOUT THE PROCESS OF NATO EXPANSION THERE WAS NOTHING IN YOUR LETTERS THAT INDIGATEO 1HE APPROACH YOU CHOSE TO TAKE IN YOUR BUDAPEST REMARKS I WOULD HOPE THAT WE COULD AVOID SUCH INCIDENTS IN THE FUTURE AND TO AGREE THAT OUR DIFFERENCES WHICH OF COURSE ARE NATURAL IN RELATIONS BETWEEN GREAT POWERS ARE BETTER DISCUSSED FOLLY IN P_RIVATE BEFORE EITHER or·os FEELS COMPELLED TO CRITICIZE TijE OTMER PUBLICLY THIS IS A FUNDAMENTAL REQUIREMENT FOR THE RELATIONSHIP OF TRUST ANO COOPERATION THAT YOO AND I HAVE BUILT TOGETHER r FOR MY PART I WILL CONTINUE TO ACCENTUATE IN MY OWN PUBLIC COMMENTS MY STRONG SUPPORT FOR U S ·RUSSIAN RELATIONS AND THE FOR OS TO WORK TpGETHER TO PROVIDE FOR EUROPE' ·s FUTURE AS AN UNDIVIDED CONTINENT THERE IS TOO MUCH AT STAKE HERE ANO TOO MUCH COMMON GROUND BETWEEN US ON SO MANY ISSUES FOR ANYONE TO BE NEED UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2017-13804 Doc No C06837068 Date 10 19 2021 3 CO 6 8 3 7 O6 8 FIED U S Department of State Case No F-2017-13804 Doc No C06837068 Date 10 19 2021 MO WHITE HOUSE SITUATION ROOM t ' 12 S 12 '94 NO 11 10 1460024007 P 1 GE - 4 ' 2 ABLE TO EXPLOIT THE PERCEPTION-OF A U S - RUSSIA NRI T 6 AS A SYMPTOM OF DEEPER PROBLEMS IN OUR RELATIONS FOR THIS REASON I BELIEVE IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT WE CONTINUE TO PURSUE A FULL DISCUSSIOij OF THE SUBSTANCE OF THE EUROPEAN SECURITY DEBATE LET ME ASSURE YOU THAT I DO UNDERSTAND THE IMPORT NCE AND COMPLEXITY OF TH IS ISSUE FOR YOU PERSONALLY AND FOR ALL RUSSIANS I BELIEVE IT IS 'XHE MOST DIFFI CULT ISSUE THAT YOU AND I WILL CONFRONT TOGETHER I AM WELL AWARE THAT YOU HAVE SOME DOUBTS AND CONCERNS ABOUT NATO EXPANSION IN PARTICULAR AND AS I HAVE TOLD YOU BEFORE I AM TAKING THOSE INTO FULL ACCOUNT AS WE PROCEED YOU ALSO KNOW FROM OUR CONVERSATIONS· IN SEPTEMBER THAT THE MOST- IMPORTANT STRATEGIC AIM OF THE U S IS TO HELP CONSTRUCT A UNIFIED STABLE AND PEACEFUL EUROPE IN THE NEXT CENTURY IN WHICH RUSSIA THE UNITED STATES AND ALL THE COUNTRIES OF EUROPE CAN FULLY PARTICIP ATE THIS PROCESS WHICH WILL TAKE YEARS TO CQMPLETE MUST INCLUDE A- STRENGTHENED CSCE IT 'MOS ALSO INCLUDE A RENEWED NATO BORN IN THE COLD WAR NATO WAS ·ANO REMAINS A PURELY DEFENSIVE ALLIANCE WITH THE ¢OLD WAR OVER NATO MUST NOW EVOLVE THROUGH·THE ADOPTION OF_ PEACEKEEPING AS AN ApDITIONAL MISSION THROUGH PARTNERSHIP FOR· PEACE AS A LONG-TERM PROGRAM OF COOPERATION WITH ALL OF EUROPE'S DEMOCRACIES ANO THROUGH GRADUAL EXPANSION OVER TIME THIS -PROCESS MUST RESULT IN RUSSIA'S· FULL INTEGRATION WITH THE WEST THROUGH YOUR FUTURE PARTICIPATION IN GATT AND THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION THE PARIS CLUB AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS· YOUR POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE G-7 AS WELL AS THROUGH THE CLOSEST POSSIBLE COLLABORATION BETWEEN RUSSIA AND NATO · THAT COLLABORAT-ION COULD POSSIBLY EVOLVE TOWARD MORE CONCRETE ARRANGEMENTS SUCH AS THOSE RAISEO' IN YOOR DECEMBER 3 LETTER CONCERNING NATO'S FUTURE RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA OUR COMMON AIM SHOULD BE TO ACHIEVE A FULL INTEGRATION BETWEEN R SSIA AND THE WEST -- INCLUDING STRENGTHENED LINKS WI H NATO - WITH NO NEW DIVISIONS N EUROPE - t I BELIEVE THAT ooa TWO GOVERNWi Nts EsT DEE EN oUa BILATERAL DISCUSSION OF EUROPEAN SECURITY ·r -ASKlg• VICE PRESIDENT GORE • w l ' '8 HA Vil AN OPEN AND CONFIDENTIAL DISCUSSION OF THIS ISSUE WITH II YOU WHEN HE IS· IN MOSCOW NEXT WEEK Kl AHB I Wff f 5ISetJos 'fHIS Pff flflt'tmiST'lffl 'f-H Qly A St cu I WOULD PROPOSE FURTHER THAT MINISTER KOZYREV AND SECRETAR CHRISTOPHER MEET IN J NUARY ANO REGULARLY THEREAFTER TO UNDERT KE AN INTENSIVE DISCUSSION OF OUR EUROPEAN SECURITY AGENDA YOU AND I CAN BE IN TOUCH BY PHONE AND LETTER ON THIS AND·OTHER ISSU S THROUGHOUT THIS PERIOD TO PREPARE FOR OUR NEXT ·SUMMIT N MO COW BORIS WE MOST NOT ALLOW' THESE O FFERENCES TO PERSIS I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING YOUR COMMEN 9N THESE PROPOSALS AT YOUR EARLIEST CONVENIENCE • -1 • I I J • '- A I- _ 1 --- f - •• J ' %' · # - _ v IV r 7 1 A __ -• - ' _ UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2017-13804 Doc No C06837068 Date 10 19 2021