In a 2014 interview former Russia president Mikhail Gorbachov was asked about the "NATO non-expansion" promise that was allegedly given by Western leaders to Russia in 1990's and the story is being used as the favourite beating stick by Putin since 2000's. But in this interview Gorbachov, who personally participated in these talks, says no such promises were made by anyone and "it's a myth that the West tricked Russia". Just to clarify, no such promises were ever codified in any international treaty signed with Russia, which is why Putin routinely uses a manipulated quote from an informal discussion Russian diplomats had with their Western counterparts regarding Eastern Germany (not the whole Eastern Europe). What Putin also conveniently skips is that in the same informal discussion Russian side claimed having no territorial disputes towards Ukraine or any other country and, in 1994, Russia has formally signed the Budapest Memorandum guaranteeing Ukraine's borders.