NATO: Difference between revisions

The '''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''' ('''NATO''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|n|eɪ|t|oʊ}} {{respell|NAY|toh}}; {{langx|fr|Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord}}, '''OTAN'''), also called the '''North Atlantic Alliance''', is an [[intergovernmental organization|intergovernmental]] [[military alliance]] of 32 [[Member states of NATO|member states]]—30 European<!-- Please do not change into something like "29 European and 1 Asian" (or "1 transcontinental" or "1 Eurasian") because of Turkey. Current consensus, as established in [[Talk:NATO/Archive 4#Eurasian?]], is to consider Turkey as European for this purpose (the definition of 'Europe' here is more political than geographical). If we were going to be geographically rigorous, we would have to remember that Portugal, Spain, France, the Netherlands and the UK all have territory in several other continents as well. --> and 2 North American. Established in the [[aftermath of World War II]], the organization implements the [[North Atlantic Treaty]], signed in [[Washington, D.C.]], on 4 April 1949.<ref name="NATO Homepage">{{cite web |date=n.d. |title=What is NATO? |url=https://www.nato.int/nato-welcome/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220228095023/https://www.nato.int/nato-welcome/index.html |archive-date=28 February 2022 |access-date=3 March 2022 |website=NATO – Homepage |publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Cook |first1=Lorne |date=25 May 2017 |title=NATO, the world's biggest military alliance, explained |website=[[Military Times]] |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2017/05/25/nato-the-world-s-biggest-military-alliance-explained/ |url-status=live |access-date=3 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525215404/http://www.militarytimes.com/articles/nato-the-worlds-biggest-military-alliance-explained |archive-date=25 May 2017}}</ref> NATO is a [[collective security]] system: its independent member states agree to defend each other against attacks by third parties. During the [[Cold War]], NATO operated as a check on the threat posed by the Soviet Union. The alliance remained in place after the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]] and the [[Warsaw Pact]], and has been involved in military operations in the [[Balkans]], the [[Middle East]], [[South Asia]], and [[Africa]]. The organization's motto is {{langnf|la|[[animus in consulendo liber]]|a mind unfettered in deliberation}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nato.int/multi/animus.htm |title=Animus in consulendo liber |publisher=NATO |accessdate=23 March 2015 |archive-date=9 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170109002130/http://www.nato.int/multi/animus.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The organization's strategic concepts include [[Deterrence theory|deterrence]].<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Szenes, Zoltan. "Reinforcing deterrence: assessing NATO's 2022 Strategic Concept." Defense & Security Analysis 39.4 (2023): 539–560. |date=2023 |volume=39 |issue=4 |doi=10.1080/14751798.2023.2270230 |last1=Szenes |first1=Zoltan |journal=Defense & Security Analysis |doi-access=free }}</ref>

The [[Treaty of Dunkirk]] was signed by France and the United Kingdom on 4 March 1947, during the [[aftermath of World War II]] and the [[Cold War (1947–1953)|start of the Cold War]], as a ''Treaty of Alliance and Mutual Assistance'' in the event of possible attacks by Germany or the Soviet Union. In March 1948, this alliance was expanded in the [[Treaty of Brussels]] to include the [[Benelux]] countries, forming the Brussels Treaty Organization, commonly known as the [[Western Union (alliance)|Western Union]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.cvce.eu/en/collections/unit-content/-/unit/d5906df5-4f83-4603-85f7-0cabc24b9fe1/051bd03c-4887-4f53-82eb-0f12e59f8dbd |title= The origins of WEU: Western Union |website= University of Luxembourg |date= December 2009 |access-date= 23 July 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180621020009/https://www.cvce.eu/en/collections/unit-content/-/unit/d5906df5-4f83-4603-85f7-0cabc24b9fe1/051bd03c-4887-4f53-82eb-0f12e59f8dbd |archive-date= 21 June 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> Talks for a wider military alliance, which could include North America, also began that month in the United States, where their foreign policy under the [[Truman Doctrine]] promoted international solidarity against actions they saw as communist aggression, such as the [[1948 Czechoslovak coup d'état|February 1948 coup d'état in Czechoslovakia]]. These talks resulted in the signature of the [[North Atlantic Treaty]] on 4 April 1949 by the member states of the Western Union plus the United States, Canada, Portugal, Italy, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland.<ref name=history>{{cite web |url= http://nato.int/cps/en/natohq/declassified_139339.htm |title= A short history of NATO |publisher= NATO |access-date= 26 March 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170326231233/http://nato.int/cps/en/natohq/declassified_139339.htm |archive-date= 26 March 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref> Canadian diplomat [[Lester B. Pearson]] was a key author and drafter of the treaty.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/declassified_161511.htm | title=Canada and NATO – 1949 | access-date=14 April 2022 | archive-date=8 April 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408074851/https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/declassified_161511.htm | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8LgDutkaOU0C&dq=%22author+of+the+north+atlantic+treaty%22&pg=PA293 |title=Speaking Out: A Congressman's Lifelong Fight Against Bigotry, Famine, and War |isbn=9781569768914 |accessdate=24 April 2022 |last1=Findley |first1=Paul |year=2011 |publisher=Chicago Review Press, Incorporated |archive-date=4 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404032047/https://books.google.com/books?id=8LgDutkaOU0C&dq=%22author+of+the+north+atlantic+treaty%22&pg=PA293 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nktsAAAAIAAJ&q=%22founder+of+the+north+atlantic+treaty%22 |title=The McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Biography: An International Reference Work |year=1973 |publisher=McGraw-Hill |isbn=9780070796331 |accessdate=24 April 2022 |archive-date=4 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404085605/https://books.google.com/books?id=nktsAAAAIAAJ&q=%22founder+of+the+north+atlantic+treaty%22 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The North Atlantic Treaty was largely dormant until the Korean War initiated the establishment of NATO to implement it with an integrated military structure. This included the formation of [[Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe]] (SHAPE) in 1951, which adopted many of the Western Union's military structures and plans,<ref name=pace>{{cite web |url= http://archives.nato.int/nato-first-5-years-1949-1954-by-lord-ismay-secretary-general-of-north-atlantic-treaty-organization;isad |title= NATO the first five years 1949–1954 |first= Hastings |last= Ismay |author-link= Hastings Ismay, 1st Baron Ismay |publisher= NATO |date= 4 September 2001 |access-date= 10 April 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170315234941/http://archives.nato.int/nato-first-5-years-1949-1954-by-lord-ismay-secretary-general-of-north-atlantic-treaty-organization%3Bisad |archive-date= 15 March 2017 |df= dmy-all }}</ref> including their [[Standardization Agreement|agreements on standardizing equipment]] and [[Status of forces agreement|agreements on stationing foreign military forces]] in European countries. In 1952, the post of [[Secretary General of NATO]] was established as the organization's chief civilian. That year also saw the first major NATO [[Military exercise|maritime exercises]], [[Exercise Mainbrace]] and the accession of Greece and Turkey to the organization.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Baldwin |first=Hanson |date=28 September 1952 |title=Navies Meet the Test in Operation Mainbrace |journal=New York Times |page=E7 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1952/09/28/archives/navies-meet-the-test-in-operation-mainbrace-important-role-in.html |access-date=10 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010140743/http://www.nytimes.com/1952/09/28/archives/navies-meet-the-test-in-operation-mainbrace-important-role-in.html |archive-date=10 October 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |magazine= [[Time (magazine)|Time]] |url= http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,816183,00.html |title= NATO: The Man with the Oilcan |date= 24 March 1952 |access-date= 17 January 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120108012303/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,816183,00.html |archive-date= 8 January 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Following the [[London and Paris Conferences]], [[West Germany]] was permitted to rearm militarily, as they joined NATO in May 1955, which was, in turn, a major factor in the creation of the Soviet-dominated [[Warsaw Pact]], delineating the two opposing sides of the [[Cold War]].<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.politico.com/story/2014/05/this-day-in-politics-106640 |title= Soviet Union establishes Warsaw Pact, May 14, 1955 |website= Politico |first= Andrew |last= Glass |date= 14 May 2014 |access-date= 10 June 2022 |archive-date= 24 September 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220924060153/https://www.politico.com/story/2014/05/this-day-in-politics-106640 |url-status= live }}</ref>

The [[Revolutions of 1989]] in Europe led to a strategic re-evaluation of NATO's purpose, nature, tasks, and focus on the continent. In October 1990, [[East Germany]] [[German reunification|became part of the Federal Republic of Germany]] and the alliance, and in November 1990, the alliance signed the [[Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe]] (CFE) in Paris with the Soviet Union. It mandated specific military reductions across the continent, which continued after the collapse of the [[Warsaw Pact]] in February 1991 and the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]] that December, which removed the ''de facto'' main adversaries of NATO.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/jul/15/russia.nato |title= Kremlin tears up arms pact with Nato |first= Luke |last= Harding |work= The Observer |date= 14 July 2007 |access-date= 1 May 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130831182652/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/jul/15/russia.nato |archive-date= 31 August 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> This began a drawdown of military spending and equipment in Europe. The CFE treaty allowed signatories to remove 52,000&nbsp;pieces of conventional armaments in the following sixteen years,<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheet/cfe |title= The Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty and the Adapted CFE Treaty at a Glance |date= August 2017 |first= Daryl |last= Kimball |website= Arms Control Association |access-date= 22 February 2021 |archive-date= 24 February 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210224222245/https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheet/cfe |url-status= live }}</ref> and allowed military spending by NATO's European members to decline by 28 percent from 1990 to 2015.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://carnegieeurope.eu/2015/09/02/politics-of-2-percent-nato-and-security-vacuum-in-europe-pub-61139 |title= The Politics of 2 Percent: NATO and the Security Vacuum in Europe |first= Jan |last= Techau |date= 2 September 2015 |website= Carnegie Europe |access-date= 22 February 2021 |archive-date= 23 September 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180923231851/http://carnegieeurope.eu/2015/09/02/politics-of-2-percent-nato-and-security-vacuum-in-europe-pub-61139 |url-status= live }}</ref> In 1990, several Western leaders gave assurances to [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] that NATO would not expand further east, as revealed by memoranda of private conversations.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Eichler |first1=Jan |title=NATO's Expansion After the Cold War: Geopolitics and Impacts for International Security |date=2021 |publisher=Springer Nature |isbn=9783030666415 |pages=34, 35}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/russia-programs/2017-12-12/nato-expansion-what-gorbachev-heard-western-leaders-early|title=Declassified documents show security assurances against NATO expansion to Soviet leaders from Baker, Bush, Genscher, Kohl, Gates, Mitterrand, Thatcher, Hurd, Major, and Woerner|date=12 December 2017|website=|publisher=National Security Archive|url-status=live|archive-date=23 December 2019|access-date=3 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191223011430/https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/russia-programs/2017-12-12/nato-expansion-what-gorbachev-heard-western-leaders-early}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Klaus |last=Wiegrefe |url=https://www.spiegel.de/ausland/nato-osterweiterung-aktenfund-stuetzt-russische-version-a-1613d467-bd72-4f02-8e16-2cd6d3285295 |title=Neuer Aktenfund von 1991 stützt russischen Vorwurf |publisher=[[Der Spiegel]] |date=18 February 2022 |access-date=3 March 2022 |archive-date=3 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303104526/https://www.spiegel.de/ausland/nato-osterweiterung-aktenfund-stuetzt-russische-version-a-1613d467-bd72-4f02-8e16-2cd6d3285295 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Peter |last=Baker |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/09/us/politics/russia-ukraine-james-baker.html |title=In Ukraine Conflict, Putin Relies on a Promise That Ultimately Wasn't |work=The New York Times |date=9 January 2022 |access-date=3 March 2022 |archive-date=1 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220301223355/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/09/us/politics/russia-ukraine-james-baker.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[s:North Atlantic Treaty#Article 5|Article 5 of the North Atlantic treaty]], requiring member states to come to the aid of any member state subject to an armed attack, was invoked for the first and only time after the September 11 attacks,<ref>{{cite web |title=Invocation of Article 5 confirmed |url=http://www.nato.int/docu/update/2001/1001/e1002a.htm |date=3 October 2001 |publisher=North Atlantic Treaty Organization |access-date=29 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121230143558/http://www.nato.int/docu/update/2001/1001/e1002a.htm |archive-date=30 December 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> after which troops were deployed to [[Afghanistan]] under the NATO-led [[International Security Assistance Force|ISAF]]. The organization has operated a range of additional roles since then, including sending [[NATO Training Mission – Iraq|trainers to Iraq]], assisting in [[Operation Ocean Shield|counter-piracy operations]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Counter-piracy operations |url=http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/topics_48815.htm |work=North Atlantic Treaty Organization |access-date=27 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526115212/http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/topics_48815.htm |archive-date=26 May 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The campaign was and has been criticized over [[Civilian casualties during Operation Allied Force|its civilian casualties]], including the bombing of the [[U.S. bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade|Chinese embassy in Belgrade]], and over [[Legitimacy of the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia|whether it had legitimacy]]. The US, the UK, and most other NATO countries opposed efforts to require the UN Security Council to approve NATO military strikes, such as the action against Serbia in 1999, while France and some others{{specify|reason=Which others?}} claimed that the alliance needed UN approval.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/europe/9904/24/nato.un/ |title= NATO reaffirms power to take action without UN approval |work= CNN |date= 24 April 1999 |access-date= 4 September 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150128045422/http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/europe/9904/24/nato.un/ |archive-date= 28 January 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> The US/UK side claimed that this would undermine the authority of the alliance, and they noted that Russia and China would have exercised their Security Council vetoes to block the strike on [[Yugoslavia]], and could do the same in future conflicts where NATO intervention was required, thus nullifying the entire potency and purpose of the organization. Recognizing the post-Cold War military environment, NATO adopted the Alliance Strategic Concept during its [[1999 Washington summit|Washington summit]] in April 1999 that emphasized conflict prevention and crisis management.<ref name="nato.int">{{cite web |url= http://www.nato.int/docu/handbook/2001/hb120704.htm |title= Allied Command Atlantic |access-date=3 September 2008 |work=NATO Handbook |publisher=NATO |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080813225955/http://www.nato.int/docu/handbook/2001/hb120704.htm <!--Added by H3llBot--> |archive-date=13 August 2008}}</ref>

{{Main|International Security Assistance Force|War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)|l2=War in Afghanistan}}[[File:Explosion following the plane impact into the South Tower (WTC 2) - B6019~11.jpg|thumb|The September 11 attacks in the United States caused NATO to invoke its collective defence article for the first time. |alt=A monumental green copper statue of a woman with a torch stands on an island in front of a mainland where a massive plume of grey smoke billows among skyscrapers.]]

The September 11 attacks in the United States caused NATO to invoke [[NATO Article 5|Article 5]] of the NATO Charter for the first time in the organization's history.<ref>{{Cite journal|doi=10.1057/s42738-021-00067-0|title=Creating common sense: Getting NATO to Afghanistan|year=2021|last1=Münch|first1=Philipp|journal=Journal of Transatlantic Studies|volume=19|issue=2|pages=138–166|doi-access=free | issn = 1479-4012 }}</ref> The Article states that an attack on any member shall be considered to be an attack on all. The invocation was confirmed on 4 October 2001 when NATO determined that the attacks were indeed eligible under the terms of the North Atlantic Treaty.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nato.int/docu/update/2001/1001/e1002a.htm |title=NATO Update: Invocation of Article 5 confirmed |date=2 October 2001 |publisher=NATO |access-date=22 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100825031521/http://www.nato.int/docu/update/2001/1001/e1002a.htm |archive-date=25 August 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> The eight official actions taken by NATO in response to the attacks included [[Operation Eagle Assist]] and [[Operation Active Endeavour]], a naval operation in the Mediterranean Sea designed to prevent the movement of terrorists or weapons of mass destruction, and to enhance the security of shipping in general, which began on 4 October 2001.<ref name="NATO Operations"/>

Turkey invoked the first Article 4 meetings in 2003 at the start of the [[Iraq War]]. Turkey also invoked this article twice in 2012 during the [[Syrian Civil War]], after the [[June 2012 interception of Turkish aircraft|downing]] of an unarmed Turkish [[McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II|F-4 reconnaissance jet]], and after a mortar was fired at Turkey from Syria,<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-crisis-alliance-idUSBRE8921F220121003 |title= NATO demands halt to Syria aggression against Turkey |work= Reuters |first= Adrian |last= Croft |date= 3 October 2012 |access-date= 3 October 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121004011242/http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/03/us-syria-crisis-alliance-idUSBRE8921F220121003 |archive-date= 4 October 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> and again in 2015 after threats by [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]] to its territorial integrity.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/26/middleeast/turkey-nato-talks/index.html |title=Turkey calls for rare NATO talks after attacks along Syrian border |last1=Ford |first1=Dana |date=26 July 2015 |website=Cnn.com |publisher=CNN |access-date=26 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150727233434/http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/26/middleeast/turkey-nato-talks/index.html |archive-date=27 July 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

* United Kingdom

[[Ukraine–NATO relations|Ukraine's relationship with NATO]] began with the NATO–Ukraine Action Plan in 2002.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/topics_49290.htm |title=NATO Topics: Individual Partnership Action Plans |publisher=NATO |access-date=29 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130310015635/http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/topics_49290.htm |archive-date=10 March 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2010, under President [[Viktor Yanukovych]], Ukraine re-affirmed its non-aligned status and renounced aspirations of joining NATO.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.kyivpost.com/article/content/ukraine-politics/yanukovych-signs-law-declaring-ukraines-non-aligne-73680.html |title=Yanukovych signs law declaring Ukraine's non-aligned status |work=[[Kyiv Post]] |date=15 July 2010 |access-date=25 February 2022 |archive-date=2 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220202025840/https://www.kyivpost.com/article/content/ukraine-politics/yanukovych-signs-law-declaring-ukraines-non-aligne-73680.html |url-status=live }}</ref> During the [[2014 Ukrainian Revolution]], Russia [[Russian occupation of Crimea|occupied Crimea]] and supported [[Russian separatist forces in Ukraine|armed separatists in eastern Ukraine]]. As a result, in December 2014 Ukraine's parliament voted to end its non-aligned status,<ref>{{cite news |title=Ukraine drops non-aligned status in swipe at Moscow |url=https://www.france24.com/en/20141223-ukraine-parliament-votes-scrap-non-aligned-status-russia-nato |work=[[France 24]] |date=23 December 2014 |access-date=8 March 2024 |archive-date=8 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240308140645/https://www.france24.com/en/20141223-ukraine-parliament-votes-scrap-non-aligned-status-russia-nato |url-status=live }}</ref> and in 2019 it enshrined the goal of NATO membership in the [[Constitution of Ukraine|Constitution]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Ukraine's parliament backs changes to Constitution confirming Ukraine's path toward EU, NATO |url=https://www.unian.info/politics/10437570-ukraine-s-parliament-backs-changes-to-constitution-confirming-ukraine-s-path-toward-eu-nato.html |work=[[Ukrainian Independent Information Agency]] |date=7 February 2019 |access-date=7 March 2024 |archive-date=15 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220215054226/https://www.unian.info/politics/10437570-ukraine-s-parliament-backs-changes-to-constitution-confirming-ukraine-s-path-toward-eu-nato.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The law amending the Constitution on the course of accession to the EU and NATO has entered into force {{!}} European integration portal|url=https://eu-ua.org/novyny/zakon-pro-zminy-do-konstytuciyi-shchodo-kursu-na-vstup-v-yes-i-nato-nabuv-chynnosti|website=eu-ua.org|access-date=23 March 2021|language=uk|archive-date=28 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928024828/https://eu-ua.org/novyny/zakon-pro-zminy-do-konstytuciyi-shchodo-kursu-na-vstup-v-yes-i-nato-nabuv-chynnosti|url-status=live}}</ref> At the June [[2021 Brussels summit|2021 Brussels Summit]], NATO leaders affirmed that Ukraine would eventually join the Alliance, and supported Ukraine's right to self-determination without interference.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_185000.htm|title=Brussels Summit Communiqué issued by the Heads of State and Government participating in the meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Brussels 14 June 2021|website=NATO|access-date=14 June 2021|archive-date=21 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221172546/https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_185000.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> In late 2021, there was another massive Russian military buildup near Ukraine's borders. On 30 November, Russian president Putin said Ukraine joining NATO, and the deployment of [[United States national missile defense|missile defense systems]] or [[Ballistic missile|long-range missiles]] in Ukraine, would be [[Red line (phrase)|crossing a red line]]. However, there were no such plans to deploy missiles in Ukraine.<ref>{{cite news |title=Russia will act if Nato countries cross Ukraine 'red lines', Putin says |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/30/russia-will-act-if-nato-countries-cross-ukraine-red-lines-putin-says |work=The Guardian |date=30 November 2021 |access-date=13 December 2021 |archive-date=17 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211217112550/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/30/russia-will-act-if-nato-countries-cross-ukraine-red-lines-putin-says |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=NATO Pushes Back Against Russian President Putin's 'Red Lines' Over Ukraine |url=https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/43334/nato-pushes-back-against-russian-president-putins-red-lines-over-ukraine |work=The Drive |date=1 December 2021 |access-date=13 December 2021 |archive-date=14 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211214164345/https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/43334/nato-pushes-back-against-russian-president-putins-red-lines-over-ukraine |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Putin warns Russia will act if NATO crosses its red lines in Ukraine |url=https://www.reuters.com/markets/stocks/putin-warns-russia-will-act-if-nato-crosses-its-red-lines-ukraine-2021-11-30/ |work=Reuters |date=30 November 2021 |access-date=13 December 2021 |archive-date=19 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220119022224/https://www.reuters.com/markets/stocks/putin-warns-russia-will-act-if-nato-crosses-its-red-lines-ukraine-2021-11-30/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The Russian Foreign Ministry drafted a treaty that would forbid Ukraine or any [[Post-Soviet states|former Soviet state]] from ever joining NATO.<ref>{{cite news |title=Russia demands NATO roll back from East Europe and stay out of Ukraine |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/russia-unveils-security-guarantees-says-western-response-not-encouraging-2021-12-17/ |work=Reuters |date=17 December 2021 |access-date=7 March 2024 |archive-date=22 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220222081106/https://www.reuters.com/world/russia-unveils-security-guarantees-says-western-response-not-encouraging-2021-12-17/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Secretary-General Stoltenberg replied that the decision is up to Ukraine and NATO members, adding "Russia has no veto, Russia has no say, and Russia has no right to establish a [[sphere of influence]] to try to control their neighbors".<ref>{{cite news |title=NATO chief: "Russia has no right to establish a sphere of influence" |url=https://www.axios.com/nato-russia-ukraine-invasion-18619fd7-be80-4d37-86f8-fcebcb1fbe8a.html |work=Axios |date=1 December 2021 |access-date=13 December 2021 |archive-date=14 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214172403/https://www.axios.com/nato-russia-ukraine-invasion-18619fd7-be80-4d37-86f8-fcebcb1fbe8a.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Is Russia preparing to invade Ukraine? And other questions |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56720589 |work=BBC News |date=10 December 2021 |access-date=13 December 2021 |archive-date=19 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211219125518/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56720589 |url-status=live }}</ref> NATO offered to improve communications with Russia and discuss missile placements and military exercises, as long as Russia withdrew troops from Ukraine's borders.<ref>{{cite news |title=US offers no concessions in response to Russia on Ukraine |url=https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-europe-russia-united-states-moscow-72856781c3b92640d03c5e954488ba90 |work=Associated Press |date=26 January 2022 |access-date=7 March 2024 |archive-date=1 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231001143405/https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-europe-russia-united-states-moscow-72856781c3b92640d03c5e954488ba90 |url-status=live }}</ref> Instead, [[Russian invasion of Ukraine|Russia invaded Ukraine]] in February 2022. Ukraine applied for NATO membership in September 2022 after Russia proclaimed it had [[Russian annexation of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts|annexed the country's southeast]].<ref>{{cite news |date=30 September 2022 |title=Ukraine applies for Nato membership after Russia annexes territory |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/30/ukraine-applies-for-nato-membership-after-russia-annexes-territory |url-status=live |access-date=30 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221001000623/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/30/ukraine-applies-for-nato-membership-after-russia-annexes-territory |archive-date=1 October 2022}}</ref>

Russia continued to politically oppose further expansion, seeing it as inconsistent with informal understandings between Soviet leader [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] and European and US negotiators that allowed for a peaceful German reunification.<ref name = "Spiegel review">{{Cite news |last1= Klussmann |first1= Uwe |last2= Schepp |first2= Matthias |last3= Wiegrefe |first3= Klaus |date= 26 November 2009 |title= NATO's Eastward Expansion: Did the West Break Its Promise to Moscow? |url= http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/nato-s-eastward-expansion-did-the-west-break-its-promise-to-moscow-a-663315.html |work= [[Spiegel Online]] |access-date= 7 April 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140405190301/http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/nato-s-eastward-expansion-did-the-west-break-its-promise-to-moscow-a-663315.html |archive-date= 5 April 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> A June 2016 [[Levada Center]] poll found that 68 percent of Russians think that deploying NATO troops in the [[Baltic states]] and Poland – former Eastern bloc countries bordering Russia – is a threat to Russia.<ref>[http://www.levada.ru/en/2016/11/04/levada-center_chicago_council/ Levada-Center and Chicago Council on Global Affairs about Russian-American relations] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170819190307/http://www.levada.ru/en/2016/11/04/levada-center_chicago_council/ |date=19 August 2017 }}. Levada-Center. 4 November 2016.</ref> In contrast, 65 percent of Poles surveyed in a 2017 Pew Research Center report identified Russia as a "major threat", with an average of 31 percent saying so across all NATO countries,<ref>{{cite news |title=Pew survey: Russia disliked around world; most in Poland, Turkey see Kremlin as major threat |url=https://www.kyivpost.com/russia/pew-survey-russia-disliked-around-world-poland-turkey-see-kremlin-major-threat.html |newspaper=Kyiv Post |access-date=4 September 2018 |date=16 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323093746/https://www.kyivpost.com/russia/pew-survey-russia-disliked-around-world-poland-turkey-see-kremlin-major-threat.html |archive-date=23 March 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> and 67 percent of Poles surveyed in 2018 favour US forces being based in Poland.<ref>{{cite web |title=NATO summit: Poland pins its hopes on the USA |url=https://www.dw.com/en/nato-summit-poland-pins-its-hopes-on-the-usa/a-44606598 |publisher=Deutsche Welle |access-date=4 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904121243/https://www.dw.com/en/nato-summit-poland-pins-its-hopes-on-the-usa/a-44606598 |archive-date=4 September 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> Of non-[[Commonwealth of Independent States|CIS]] Eastern European countries surveyed by Gallup in 2016, all but [[Serbia]] and [[Montenegro]] were more likely than not to view NATO as a protective alliance rather than a threat.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Smith |first1=Michael |title=Most NATO Members in Eastern Europe See It as Protection |date=10 February 2017 |url=https://news.gallup.com/poll/203819/nato-members-eastern-europe-protection.aspx |publisher=Gallup |access-date=4 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904153827/https://news.gallup.com/poll/203819/nato-members-eastern-europe-protection.aspx |archive-date=4 September 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> A 2006 study in the journal ''[[Security Studies (journal)|Security Studies]]'' argued that NATO enlargement contributed to [[democratic consolidation]] in Central and Eastern Europe.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Epstein|first=Rachel|date=2006|title=Nato Enlargement and the Spread of Democracy: Evidence and Expectations|journal=Security Studies|volume=14|issue=1 |page=63|doi=10.1080/09636410591002509|s2cid=143878355}}</ref> China also opposes further expansion.<ref>{{cite news|title=China joins Russia in opposing Nato expansion|work=BBC News|date=4 February 2022|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-60257080|access-date=4 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220217171200/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-60257080|archive-date=17 February 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>

Member states pay for and maintain their own troops and equipment.<ref name="rfek"/><ref name="funding"/> They contribute to NATO operations and missions by committing troops and equipment on a voluntary basis.<ref name="funding"/> Since 2006, the goal has been for each country to spend at least 2 percent of its gross domestic product on its own defence; in 2014, a NATO declaration said that countries not meeting the goal would "aim to move towards the 2 percent guideline within a decade".<ref name="rfek"/><ref name="agss">{{cite news |last1=Gray |first1=Andrew |last2=Siebold |first2=Sabine |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/what-did-trump-say-about-nato-funding-what-is-article-5-2024-02-12/ |title=What did Trump say about NATO funding and what is Article 5? |work=Reuters |date=13 February 2024 |access-date=14 February 2024}}</ref> In July 2022, NATO estimated that 11 members would meet the target in 2023.<ref name="agss"/> On 14 February 2024, NATO Secretary General [[Jens Stoltenberg]] said that 18 member states would meet the 2% target in 2024.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sabbagh |first=Dan |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/14/nato-chief-rebukes-donald-trump-and-announces-record-defence-spending |title=Nato chief rebukes Donald Trump and announces record defence spending |work=The Guardian |date=14 February 2024 |access-date=14 February 2024 |archive-date=14 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240214163731/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/14/nato-chief-rebukes-donald-trump-and-announces-record-defence-spending |url-status=live }}</ref> On 17 June 2024, prior to the [[2024 Washington summit]], Stoltenberg updated that figure and announced that a record 23 of 32 NATO member states were meeting their defense spending targets of 2% of their country's GDP.<ref name=NATOSpending>{{cite web|title=Secretary General in Washington: NATO makes America stronger|url=https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_226749.htm?selectedLocale=en|publisher=NATO|website=NATO.int|date=17 June 2024|access-date=19 June 2024}}</ref><ref name=APSpending>{{cite web|title=A record number of NATO allies are hitting their defense spending target during war in Ukraine|url=https://apnews.com/article/nato-defense-spending-stoltenberg-biden-5246409eec70745e6e936d997073a6f4|author1=Knickmeyer, Ellen|author2=Seung Min Kim|publisher=Associated Press|website=APNews.com|date=17 June 2024|access-date=19 June 2024}}</ref> NATO added that defense spending for European member states and Canada was up 18% in the past year alone.<ref name=NATOSpending/><ref name=APSpending/>