Putin and his Story

You have to listen to him, but you shouldn’t believe him. Ultimately, the Russian leader is simply looking out for his own interests. The book *NATO: A Cause for War? Putin’s Path to Neo-Imperialism* (german language) by Eastern European historian and journalist Ignaz Lozo—just published in October 2026 by Herder Verlag—examines and refutes Vladimir Putin’s central narrative regarding the West’s alleged breach of promise concerning NATO’s eastward expansion.

The myth of the Western promise still lingers: Putin claims that, after the end of the Soviet Union, the West gave Moscow a firm assurance that NATO would not expand eastward. Lozo demonstrates, using original sources and eyewitness accounts, that no such legally binding commitment under international law ever existed. Even Mikhail Gorbachev himself later distinguished between the inclusion of the GDR and the subsequent accessions of other Eastern European states.

The right to freely choose alliances has always existed. Citing principles of international law such as the 1997 NATO-Russia Founding Act, the book emphasizes the sovereign right of every state to freely choose its alliances and security arrangements.

None of this, however, stops Putin’s march toward neo-imperialism. Lozo demonstrates that the alleged protection from NATO is not the true reason for the 2022 attack on Ukraine. Rather, Putin uses this narrative as a pretext to build on imperial traditions (the Tsarist Empire and the Soviet Union), to deny the Ukrainian people their right to exist as a nation, and to forcibly reestablish a Russian sphere of influence (“near abroad”).

Ultimately, it’s always about the impact in the West. Lozo’s book also sheds light on why Putin’s propaganda narrative has taken hold in parts of the German political landscape (including segments of Die Linke, the BSW, the AfD, and parts of the SPD). An extremely compelling book on a highly topical issue that has a profound impact on our society.

“Kriegsgrund NATO? Putins Weg in den Neo-Imperialismus” (german language) by Ignaz Lozo, Herder Verlag, Freiburg/Br. 2026, 256 pages, 25.80 euros – HERE on Amazon or at well-stocked bookstores.