What is NATO?
NATO is an intergovernmental military alliance with two North American countries – the U.S. and Canada – and 28 European countries. Founded in 1949 after the end of World War II, NATO is the “largest peacetime military alliance in the world,” according to the U.S. Department of State.
According to the State Department, NATO was the first peacetime military alliance the U.S. entered outside of the Western Hemisphere. While it is often believed NATO was formed in response to the threat posed by the Soviet Union and possible spread of communism over Europe after World War II, this is only partially true.
According to NATO, the alliance was formed for three purposes: in response to threats from the Soviet Union, to forbid a nationalistic militarism revival "in Europe with a strong North American presence on the continent, and to encourage European political integration."
This was a break from traditional U.S foreign policy since historically the U.S. had practiced a policy of diplomatic isolationism which had stemmed from President George Washington’s Farewell Address which advocated for “non-involvement in European wars and politics.”
Why is Ukraine not in NATO?
Article 10 of NATO states that any European country can ask to join the alliance. Countries are allowed to join the alliance if all other NATO allies agree, according to Article 10.
Ukraine has had a long standing intention to join NATO, especially after the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea, which made the intention a priority of Ukraine, The Washington Post reported. Although NATO promised to add Ukraine to the alliance in 2008 and then again in 2021, Ukraine still remains outside of the group.
Ukraine’s intention to join NATO contributed to the Russian invasion in February. Prior to the invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that NATO and the U.S. had not done enough to halt NATO’s expansion into Europe. Putin has demanded that NATO return to its 1997 status meaning that 14 states including the Baltic states, Poland and Romania, would need to withdraw from the alliance.
Putin has also demanded that the U.S. and NATO promise that Ukraine will never become a NATO state, something that has been rejected by the U.S. and NATO.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for more support from NATO countries, including asking for a no-fly zone. His request has gone unfulfilled as the U.S. has stated that creating a no-fly zone creates the risk of engaging militarily with Russia, something the U.S. hopes to avoid.