What Is NATO, What Countries On It, And Why It Plays Crucial Role In Russia-Ukraine War
We know that NATO now plays a crucial role in the war between Russia and Ukraine. Actually, ‘NATO’ has registered more than 70 years of history. Despite it, ‘NATO’ has reestablished its front position in public judgment due to the conflict that broke out between Russia and Ukraine. A military alliance between 30 countries that President Vladimir Putin has put at the center of his decision to attack, due to the interest of the Ukrainian Government in being part of it.
The end of Second World War ended in 1949. After that, the beginning of it later became the Cold War. ‘The West’ welcomed a series of political ties in different establishments. With the precise objective of putting its interests above those of the Soviet Union, it happened. In that way, the emergence of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, or also known as the Atlantic Alliance) has taken its profile.
What Is NATO?
A military organization had a clear objective to defend one of its members not in favor of potential outside assault. It also arose from the need to reach agreements once the Soviet Union, like the United States, had a veto in UN decisions. On April 4, it gave the green light to that union between the same ‘North American State, Canada, and ten other European states’.
In its origin, NATO was very important for the rebuilding of ‘the West’ and political, social, and economic interests during the Cold War. It lost weight until Russia put it back on the map in recent years. A list to which where there has been the addition of different countries, when Spain entered in 1982 in a decision, endorsed it in 1986.
These Have Been The Functions Of NATO Owing To The Fall Of The USSR
However, with the end of the Soviet Union, the objectives of NATO have changed until it promotes democratic values and cooperation in defense and security matters. Further, there was the diplomatic resolution of disputes, although with the possibility of using military force in crisis management.
With the Headquartered in Brussels, hundreds of experts who make up NATO make decisions on security issues at all levels, as determined by the organization’s statutes, whose command falls to Jens Stoltenberg (Norway).
What Countries Makeup NATO?
With integrations over the years, the unlike objectives of ‘NATO’ have varied the entry of one or another Member States until there was currently a list of 30 countries. Ukraine has expressed its wish to connect on several occasions.
- In 1949, the United States, Canada, Belgium, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands, Denmark, Luxembourg, Iceland, and Norway.
- In 1952, Greece and Turkey.
- In 1955, West Germany.
- In 1982, Spain.
- Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic countries joined in 1999.
- In 2004, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Romania.
- In 2009, Croatia and Albania.
- In 2017, Montenegrin.
- In 2020, North Macedonia joined.
Let Us Know Why NATO Is Crucial Role In The Russia And Ukraine War
These latest adhesions, more specifically those produced in 2004 on different former Soviet republics, have raised the spirit of Ukraine to join NATO and Russia to avoid it. They consider that second to the first a cultural, sentimental, and national part of its borders. Putin has shown his constant rejection of entry of Ukraine into the organization because it would assault his interests.
That is what Russia has used as an excuse for the invasion of its territory. However, former President Yanukovych paralyzed it between 2013 and 2014. That issue caused demonstrations throughout the country by ‘pro-European Ukrainians
Further, since it was so in recent years, the Ukrainian Parliament has re-initiated the procedures for entry into NATO.’ That actions of the issue led to the Crimean and Donbas War. Ukraine has been taking measures to acclimate to the demands for entry into NATO Since 2017, emanated in 2020 in the ‘National Security Strategy.’ It was a clear step for entry.
However, ‘NATO’ has never seriously proposed the entry. That has not gone beyond a mere point of debate until the Russian attacks have only increased the position in favor. On US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s last visit to Moscow warned of the “high costs” of invading Ukraine. Russia responded with a now unfulfilled condition that NATO not continue its expansion to the east.
