In a time of uncertainty, many people are wondering: Did Russia try to join NATO? The Russian government views NATO expansion as a violation of a promise it made to its allies, when the former Soviet Union had promised to remove its military from Eastern Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Putin believes Western allies took advantage of Russia’s weakening position and ignored its objections to expansion. So the question is: Did Russia try to enter NATO?
The United States is a member of NATO, but did Russia try to join? The answer is no. While the USSR sought membership in the alliance, it did not want to go through the application process and stand in line with other irrelevant countries. The former secretary general of NATO, George Robertson, who headed the alliance from 1999 to 2003, said Putin wanted to be a part of western Europe. Nonetheless, the Russian government did not seek membership in NATO and instead chose to work on its relationship with the West.
Russia was quick to respond. The U.S. refused to accept Russia’s request to join NATO, and insisted that its satellite countries allow the UN to do its job. The USSR anticipated that the USSR would react negatively and join NATO. The reaction to its application was an attempt to make Russia look like a militarist and weaken the social forces against the East European Community. It is unlikely that Russia would actually join NATO, but it was certainly willing to do so.
In 2001, Russia resisted NATO expansion. The Russian President Boris Yeltsin tried to obtain a guarantee from Bill Clinton for the alliance against former Soviet republics, but the U.S. did not reciprocate. This is a clear sign that the U.S. government failed to counter Russian displeasure. The expansion of NATO has been a success. Three times in the 1990s and early 2000s included seven more countries. In 2009, Serbia and Croatia were added to the alliance.
The U.S. and the EU are opposed to NATO’s expansion. The Russians were afraid of the U.S. and its satellites, but in 2001, they didn’t join NATO. The Soviet Union reacted by exposing itself as a militarist and stoking tension in the region. During the Cold War, Russia also sought to strengthen its post-Cold-War tension with the West.
During the past years, NATO’s eastward expansion has been a major cause for concern for Russian leaders. The U.S. was wary of the Soviet Union’s expansion and resisted NATO expansion. During the 2008 Bucharest summit, the U.S. warned Russian officials against its expansion plans. The Ukrainians are now less interested in joining NATO, but the idea of joining NATO has a positive impact on Ukraine.
The collapse of the Soviet Union increased the urgency of NATO expansion. Besides advancing U.S. influence in Europe, it was also important for countries emerging from communist control to become members of NATO. These countries thought that the United States would protect them from Russian aggression and keep their influence strong. In the meantime, the U.S. was gaining strength in Europe. In the end, Russia joined NATO after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
However, it is still unclear whether Russia tried to join NATO. There are several reasons why Russia was wary of the expansion of NATO to the east. Initially, it was wary of the USSR and its satellites, but in the end, it allowed them to join NATO. This was a positive step toward a more stable European future. The annexation of Crimea made Ukrainians more inclined to join NATO.
The United States and Europe were wary of each other and hoped that Russia could join NATO. But the USSR was a member of NATO and was expected to join it. But the decision of the USSR to not enter NATO is still unpopular. The Russians are unlikely to have made such a decision without the help of the U.S. The question remains: Would Russia want to leave NATO? Its actions, if they did, would the U.S. consider a stronger stance?