In 1997 Joe Biden completely understood the situation of NATO and Russia

Joe Biden: “I think the one place, where the greatest consternation will be caused in the short term, for admission, having nothing to do with the merit, the preparedness of the country to come in, would be to admit the Baltic States now in terms of NATO-Russian, US-Russian relations. And if there was ever anything that was going to tip the balance were it to be tipped, in terms of a vigorous and a hostile reaction, I don’t mean military, in Russia, it would be that.”