51 NATO membership
Did you know that NATO has never expanded? The countries only joined NATO. Out of fear of Russia. But NATO was too weak.
- NATO has expanded aggressively to the east
- NATO had encircled Russia
- Russia had to protect Ukraine from joining NATO
- New members joined the NATO defense alliance after being threatened by Russia
- Four years after declaring itself legally non-aligned, Ukraine was invaded by Russia
- No one can encircle a country as big as Russia
51.1 “NATO-Expansion” is no justification
Even if there had been NATO expansion, this would not justify an invasion,1 warcrimes (Chapter 96) and genocide (Chapter 41). NATO’s real contribution to the invasion is its cowardice and weakness2.
51.2 “NATO-Expansion” is a propaganda term
NATO enlargement is the most common political explanation of Russian unprovoked aggression against Ukraine. However, the reason behind the NATO enlargement is that states consider Russia a threat to their security and seek protection. Russia has a history of military interventions and actions that destabilize its neighbors, fueling anxieties about security in Eastern Europe. Recent examples include the wars in Chechnya, Georgia, Syria, and the annexation of Crimea. It was these actions, not NATO expansion itself, that prompted many countries to seek protection within the alliance.
51.3 NATO accession was legitimite
It is important to highlight that the NATO accession took place without violating any previously signed agreements with Russia. While the 1990 Two-plus-Four Treaty addressed Germany’s reunification and its NATO membership, it did not include any commitments regarding the future of other Eastern European countries. Even Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader, has confirmed that no such promises were made, see Chapter 52
In 1994 Russia joined the Partnership for Peace and in the NATO-Russia Founding Act expressly agreed to the accession of the Eastern European countries to NATO, see Chapter 52.
51.4 Ukraine was non-aligned
In 2010, during the premiership of Viktor Yanukovych, the Ukrainian parliament voted to abandon the goal of NATO membership and re-affirm Ukraine’s neutral status, while continuing its co-operation with NATO.3 In the February 2014 Ukrainian Revolution, Ukraine’s parliament voted to remove Yanukovych, but the new government did not seek to change its neutral status.456. In other words: Russia invaded Ukraine while Ukraine was by constitution not seeking NATO membership.
51.5 Sweden and Finland
Russia’s struggle against NATO enlargement has led to the very expansion of the alliance. Finland and Sweden, neutral until February 24, 2022, decided to join NATO after Russia’s full-scale invasion. Before this happened, NATO had land borders with Russia that spanned 1213 km across northern Norway, eastern Latvia, and Estonia, and the borders with Poland and Lithuania around Russia’s Kaliningrad region. This changed when Finland became a member state of the alliance and now the length of the NATO-Russian border is almost twice bigger — 2548 km.7 Still, even after Finland’s accession, only 11% of Russia’s land border is shared with NATO countries.
51.6 Nobody is encircling Russia
Even after the accession of Sweden and Finland, it is ridiculous to claim that NATO is encircling Russia:
Daljit Singh (11 Jul 2023) NATO Expansion Does Not Justify Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine. Fulcrum. https://fulcrum.sg/nato-expansion-does-not-justify-russias-invasion-of-ukraine/↩︎
Andrew A. Michta (March 6, 2025) The real reason Russia invaded Ukraine (hint: it’s not NATO expansion). Atlantic Council. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/the-real-reason-russia-invaded-ukraine-hint-its-not-nato-expansion/↩︎
“Ukraine’s parliament votes to abandon Nato ambitions”. BBC News. 3 June 2010. Archived from the original on 19 May 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2022.↩︎
“Deschytsia states new government of Ukraine has no intention to join NATO”. Interfax-Ukraine. 29 March 2014. Archived from the original on 15 February 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2014.↩︎
Blank, Stephen (28 January 2022). “Ukrainian neutrality would not appease Putin or prevent further Russian aggression”. Atlantic Council.↩︎
Lutsevych, Orysia (27 June 2023). “How to end Russia’s war on Ukraine: Safeguarding Europe’s future, and the dangers of a false peace”. Chatham House. doi:10.55317/9781784135782.↩︎
Baker, S., & Snodgrass, E., (2023, April 4). Map shows how Russia’s border with NATO more than doubles with Finland as a member. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/map-how-russias-nato-border-expands-with-finaland-sweden-members-2022-5?IR=T↩︎