NATO, the transat-lantic security alliance. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was founded in 1949, in the aftermath of World War II. Ukraine has repeatedly stated its intention to become a NATO member state – an objective that is now written into the country’s constitution.
On 21 February 2019, the Constitution of Ukraine was amended, the norms on the strategic course of Ukraine for membership in the European Union and NATO are enshrined in the preamble of the Basic Law, three articles and transitional provisions.
Joining the alliance would boost Ukraine’s defensive strength, because of NATO’s principle of collective defence. That principle – set out by Article 5 in NATO’s founding treaty – means an attack against one ally is considered as an attack against all allies, committing them to protect one another.
The alliance was initially part of an effort by the US and its European allies to deter any expansion of the then-Soviet Union (USSR) and reduce the possibility of conflict on the continent by encouraging greater political integration between its powers.
In the decades since, it has steadily expanded its orbit, bringing a swathe of central and eastern European states into its ranks after the USSR collapsed. NATO is comprised of 30 member states.Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the US were its founding members.
The newest member state is North Macedonia, which joined in 2020. Three so-called partner countries – Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Georgia – have declared their aspirations to become part of the alliance, which says its purpose is “to guarantee the freedom and security of its members through political and military means”.
Some 69% of Ukrainians want to join NATO, according to a June 2017 poll by the Democratic Initiatives Foundation. On 30 September 2022, Ukraine formally applied to join NATO, following Russia’s annexation of Southern and Eastern Ukraine.
