NATO

“ It is often said that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was founded in response to the threat posed by the Soviet Union. This is only partially true. In fact, the Alliance’s creation was part of a broader effort to serve three purposes: deterring Soviet expansionism, forbidding the revival of nationalist militarism in Europe through a strong North American presence on the continent, and encouraging European political integration.

— A Short History of NATO

“ I am absolutely convinced that Ukraine will not shy away from the processes of expanding interaction with NATO and the Western allies as a whole. Ukraine has its own relations with NATO; there is the Ukraine-NATO Council. At the end of the day the decision is to be taken by NATO and Ukraine. It is a matter for those two partners.

— Vladimir Putin, “Press Statement and Answers to Questions at a Joint News Conference with Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma”, May 17, 2002

“ Does the right to sovereignty also mean for Georgia and Ukraine, for example, that Russia would have nothing against their accession to the EU and NATO?

Sergey Lavrov: That is their choice. We respect the right of every state - including our neighbors - to choose its own partners, to decide for itself which organization to join. We assume that they will consider for themselves how they develop their politics and economy and which partners and allies they rely on.

— “Russland öffnet Ukraine den Weg in die Nato”, 2. Januar 2005

Enlargement

“ This leads us to the second point: NATO did not expand into “Eastern Europe.” Czechia, Poland, and Hungary in 1999 and the Baltic countries among others in 2004 actively sought membership in the alliance. This is not just semantics. For the historical reasons mentioned above, the West has been a desired political direction associated with prosperity, democracy, and freedom—despite the limitations of Western liberal capitalist democracies and the implementation of that model in Eastern Europe. Being at the receiving end of Russian imperialism, many Eastern Europeans looked forward to membership in NATO as a means of securing their sovereignty. NATO, in other words, would not have “expanded” into Eastern Europe if the Eastern European nations had not wanted it and actively pursued it.

As 2020 Pew Research Center data show, Eastern European members generally see NATO favorably. Fifty-three percent of Czechs have a positive opinion about NATO, as do 77 percent of Lithuanians. NATO’s most enthusiastic supporters are Poles, with 88 percent supporting the alliance. Fifty-three percent of Ukrainians view NATO favorably, compared to 23 who view it negatively. …

In the westsplaining framework, the concerns of Russia are recognized but those of Eastern Europe are not. This, again, mirrors the Russian line that “Ukraine’s current regime lacks any sovereignty,” which of course also operates within a framework inherited from the bipolar world of the Cold War. Eastern Europe is something that can be explained but isn’t worth engaging with.

— Jan Smoleński and Jan Dutkiewicz, “The American Pundits Who Can’t Resist ‘Westsplaining ’Ukraine”, March 4, 2022

• Mikhail Gorbachev: I am against all walls

• ‘There was no promise not to enlarge NATO’

• Why would anyone even care about a verbal promise to a dead leader of a non-existent state?

• Lionel Page, “It is regrettable that many Western commentators repeated Putin’s narrative that the problem came from an aggressive NATO expansion aimed at encircling Russia. Time for a reset of narratives. Here are some simple insights, informed by our work on the game theory of alliances. 🧵”, February 25, 2022 (thread) (pdf)

• A look at the debate over NATO expansion eastward that’s at the heart of conflict now

• From Accepting NATO Aspirations to ‘Denazifying’: 20+ Years of Putin’s Changing Views on Ukraine

Poland

• Poland’s Road to NATO from the Perspective of Poland’s Ambassador to Washington
• POLAND, THE ISSUE OF NATO EXPANSION AND THE POLISH AMERICAN CONGRESS

Baltics

• https://twitter.com/BadBalticTakes/status/1567068652729516032
• “Let’s talk about why the Baltic nations are not ‘former Soviet states’.” (thread) (pdf)
• https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/04/tim-kaine-and-cory-gardner-why-we-stand-nato/586456/

“I have the honor to offer my best wishes to the signatories of the North Atlantic Pact, and to express my confidence that they, inspired by the ideals of democracy, of individual liberty, and the rule of law, will strive relentlessly for peace with justice, which excludes peace at any price. Therefore, I express the belief that countries which were forcibly deprived of self-government and independence will benefit by this noble endeavor.”

Popular support - votes and polls

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:NATO_membership_referendums

If you could vote for or against your country’s membership in NATO, how would you vote?

• NATO Seen Favorably Across Member States
• If you could vote for or against your country’s membership in NATO, how would you vote?
• NATO pre-Summit polling results show historically high level of support for NATO, 22 June 2022
• Poll: Europeans from NATO countries embrace US defense

• Anyone using this image as appology for russ aggression against ukraine is either troll or complete id**t. There are no other reasons for being that dumb.

Political support

Here is a list of the GOP lawmakers who voted “no”[1]

https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2022364

Andy Biggs, Arizona Dan Bishop, North Carolina Lauren Boebert, Colorado Madison Cawthorn, North Carolina Ben Cline, Virginia Michael Cloud, Texas Warren Davidson, Ohio Matt Gaetz, Florida Bob Good, Virginia Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia Morgan Griffith, Virginia, Thomas Massie, Kentucky Tom McClintock, California Mary Miller, Illinois Ralph Norman, South Carolina, Matt Rosendale, Montana Chip Roy, Texas Jefferson Van Drew, New Jersey

USA

• Support for US Commitment to NATO at 48-Year High, September 14, 2022

UK

• Support for NATO membership has become firmer in Britain, Spain and Poland since March

Finland

• Finnish Support for NATO Membership Jumps to 76% in Latest Poll, May 9, 2022
• Poll: Citizens’ willingness to defend Finland, support for Nato hit all time high
• Finnish Support For NATO Membership Rises To 78 Percent, Poll Shows, November 23, 2022
• Yle poll: Support for Nato membership soars to 76%
• Most Finns, Swedes Approve of NATO’s Leadership

Ukraine

• Record 83% of Ukrainians want NATO membership -poll, October 4, 2022

• Putin’s plan to stop Ukraine turning to the west has failed – our survey shows support for Nato is at an all-time high January 4, 2023]

russian troops

Finnish border

• Russia withdraws its troops from Finnish border after Finland joins NATO, July 5, 2022

• Finnish military intelligence: The Russian troops at the Finnish border are now less than 25% of what they were before Russias invasion of Ukraine in Feb -24.
  • Försvarets underrättelsetjänst: Tunga ryska förluster i Ukraina minskar hotet mot Finland, January 19, 2023

More

• Putin’s Biggest Lie: Blaming NATO for His War