On March 25, in the sixth episode of the podcast “Satkmeli” [“To Be Said”], co-host Salome Mtvralashvili spoke about NATO enlargement, the end of the Cold War, and alleged unfulfilled promises (1;2).
In the podcast, Mtvralashvili discussed the Malta Summit and the pivotal meeting between Mikhail Gorbachev and George H.W. Bush. According to her, Bush tried to convince Gorbachev of the necessity of German reunification, which would be beneficial not only to the West. The host stated that this was linked to James Baker’s phrase, “not one inch eastward,” which, she insisted, referred to a broader agreement preventing NATO and the EU from enlarging throughout Europe.
Salome Mtvralashvili: “This is connected to Baker’s famous phrase, which was mentioned at least three times during diplomatic meetings at the time – ‘not one inch eastward.’ This referred to both NATO and the EU, meaning they should not move an inch eastward. Incidentally, this was even formalized declaratively. For instance, it wasn’t just the leaders of West Germany and the U.S. who discussed this; NATO’s Secretary-General also signed documents affirming it. However, later, when discussions on the matter began, everything was linked exclusively to East Germany. But in reality, we know that this is, to some extent, speculation because it is impossible for Eastern Europe’s political landscape to be solely tied to Germany. In other words, the policy that NATO should not move even an inch eastward applied to all of Europe.”
The co-host of the podcast “Satkmeli” spreads disinformation regarding NATO enlargement. The agreement under which Germany was reunified only included a temporary restriction on NATO troop deployment east of Germany and made no mention of NATO enlargement into Eastern Europe. Baker’s phrase “not one inch eastward,” which Kremlin propaganda frequently exploits, actually referred to Germany, a fact confirmed by Gorbachev himself.
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Was There an Agreement Preventing NATO Enlargement?
In 1990, the foundation for the reunification of West and East Germany was the 2+4 Agreement. This treaty was signed between the Federal Republic of Germany, the German Democratic Republic, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and the Soviet Union. The agreement, which is available in the archives of the German Foreign Ministry, was signed by the leaders of the states that had occupied German territory. The document defined Germany’s borders, its right to join alliances, and the limits on military forces and nuclear weapons.
Article 5 of the agreement concerns the deployment of military forces on German territory. According to this article, until Soviet troops fully withdrew from Germany, only German territorial defense units, which are not integrated into NATO structures, could be stationed in East Germany. Additionally, during this period, no other foreign forces were allowed in East Germany, and no military activities were to be conducted there. Before the Soviet withdrawal, forces from France, the U.S., and the UK would remain in Berlin. After the Soviet withdrawal, German armed forces integrated into NATO structures could be deployed throughout East Germany and other parts of the country, with exceptions for nuclear weapons and foreign military units.
Mikhail Gorbachev initially opposed Germany’s NATO membership but ultimately agreed under the condition that a unified Germany would remain in NATO while significantly reducing its military forces and refraining from military exercises in East Germany.
Despite claims made by the podcast co-host, the document does not concern NATO’s further enlargement in Europe and contains no formal commitments on this issue. Furthermore, there is no publicly available document proving that NATO promised not to expand eastward. In a 2014 interview, Gorbachev himself stated that during the treaty negotiations, the issue of NATO enlargement was not addressed, but the discussion focused on the deployment of additional forces in East Germany after reunification. He said that it was in this context that former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker made the remark about NATO’s jurisdiction not expanding eastward if Germany remained in NATO. In fact, Baker was referring specifically to East Germany, not Europe as a whole.
The disinformation suggesting that NATO broke a promise has been systematically spread by the Russian government and Kremlin-aligned sources using, much like the podcast host, Baker’s phrase. Many explanations can be found in open sources confirming that Baker’s phrase was never uttered in the context of NATO’s enlargement in Europe.
Myth Detector has previously fact-checked similar disinformation claims about NATO enlargement. Read more in these materials:
- Russian Disinformation about German Reunification and NATO Enlargement
- 3 Disinformation by “Cardhu” around the Russia-Ukraine War
Who Created the Podcast and What Are the Hosts’ Positions?
The podcast “Satkmeli” [“To Be Said”] was created in 2025, with its first episode released on March 10. The hosts are Lika Jalaghonia and Salome Mtvralashvili. The podcast primarily focuses on geopolitical events, discussing the positions of the U.S. government and EU countries, the Russia-Ukraine war, developments in Syria, and criticizing “liberal censorship” and the Biden administration’s policies.
The first episode analyzed a meeting between Trump, Vance, and Zelenskyy. From the discussion, it is evident that co-host Lika Jalaghonia places responsibility for the situation in Ukraine on the previous U.S. administration. She claimed that previous press conferences coordinated with Zelenskyy were staged for the liberal media, while in the March meeting, Zelenskyy realized that “the people who brought Ukraine to this situation are no longer in power.” She described Zelenskyy as a disappointed child “who followed his master through to the end.”
In the same episode, Jalaghonia twice cited Jeffrey Sachs (11:40; 19:15) – a figure known for anti-American and pro-Russian narratives – when discussing U.S. goals toward other countries and “controlled media.” According to the host, Georgia has not taken sides and has remained neutral in the interests of its people amidst great power rivalries. She believes this neutrality is why Georgia is labeled a dictatorship:
“Although, for so many years, our pro-Western values… the government strengthened these values so much… everything was moving toward the West, right? But suddenly, one day, we simply didn’t do what Zelenskyy did to his people, and because of that, we were punished, right? In a way. Sanctions, pressure from the West…”
The 5th episode of the podcast also covered the Russia-Ukraine war and peace talks. The hosts discussed [10:10] how the Biden administration allegedly fueled the war through “igniting the fire” and “aggressive preparations.” According to Lika Jalaghonia [11:20], the war was nearing its end because “Big Uncle,” referring to the United States, no longer wanted it. She claimed that after the war began, Zelenskyy’s approval rating in Ukraine dropped, and because elections were not held, Ukrainians now see him as a dictator.
Jalaghonia criticized NGOs and the media, blaming them for negatively shaping the younger generation. She argued that the same individuals controlled the media, which ultimately led to a “liberal international” that dictated the global and Georgian agenda. She explained that under “international,” she implied George Soros’ foundation and NGOs, which were “forcing a liberal agenda upon us.” In the second episode, Jalaghonia stated that the 1990s saw the beginning of the “manufacturing of a new human” in Georgia, linking this to the arrival of NGOs and USAID. She asserted that NGOs created “liberal censorship,” which was more severe than the censorship “seen in Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union.”
Regarding the ongoing protests in Georgia, Jalaghonia claimed that the demonstrations followed the methods described in Gene Sharp’s book. Although she did not address this topic in the 6th episode, numerous open-source videos featuring co-host Salome Mtvralashvili discussing Georgian political events are available. In one such video, Mtvralashvili criticizes the protests. She refers to the demonstrators as “brainwashed small groups” that the majority of her generation “follows like a herd.” In another video, she argues that there is nothing destructive about the Georgian Dream in terms of values; on the contrary, it is “trying to strengthen Georgian identity.” She accuses the protesters of staging scenes and provoking conflicts. Mtvralashvili is proud that police officers performed their duties well during the protests, “except for a few minor incidents.”
In the 4th episode, Salome Mtvralashvili discussed events in Syria, claiming that religious minorities in the country became targets. She also referred to a widely spread claim about a Christian being crucified, a story that Myth Detector has already debunked. While analyzing the Syria conflict, Mtvralashvili criticizes the European Union, claiming that the EU “turns a blind eye to bloodshed.”
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