NATO Countries 2023

A military alliance between nations in North America and Europe, NATO, is known as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. In the wake of World War II, NATO was designed to shield democratic countries against Soviet Union aggression (which exists today as the Russian Federation).

It is stated on NATO’s website that NATO’s founding treaty was signed in 1949.

What is NATO, and why is it important?

It reaffirms the Allie’s commitments to democracy and individual liberty, as well as to the peaceful settlement of conflicts. An important part of the treaty is establishing the principle of collective defense, which states that an assault on one ally is considered an attack on all allies.

NATO has 30 members as of February 2023.

Currently-member NATO Countries

Note: * indicates a founding member along with the years in which they joined.

Among the 12 founding members of NATO are the following: Belgium; Canada; Denmark; France; Italy; Luxembourg; Netherlands; Norway; Portugal; the United Kingdom; and the United States.

These include Bosnia and Herzegovina; Georgia; Macedonia & Ukraine; as well as potential members such as Macedonia and Georgia.

Is Ukraine a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)?

But it’s in the process of becoming a member. Ukraine established NATO’s Partnership for Peace program in 1994, and the country filed for NATO MAP membership in 2008. Viktor Yanukovych’s election delayed Ukrainian participation in the United Nations as president in 2010.

Despite this, Ukraine’s new government restarted and emphasized attempts to join NATO after Russia invaded Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula and held a national election in 2014.

A 2017 survey found that 69 percent of Ukrainians favor joining NATO. In 2018, Ukraine became a NATO hopeful. On February 7, 2019, the Ukrainian parliament ratified a constitutional amendment affirming the country’s desire to join NATO and the EU.

Does Russia belong to NATO?

Yes, Russia is not a member of the NATO alliance. NATO was created to confront the Russian government’s perceived aggression. Despite this, Russia has at least seemed to cooperate with NATO in the past.

North Atlantic Cooperation Council was created in 1991, and Russia participated in the Partnership for a Peace initiative in 1994.

In 2002, the Russia-NATO Council was established to handle security challenges and engage in collaborative initiatives. Following Russia’s invasion of Crimea in 2014, NATO ceased cooperation with Russia, not including the NATO-Russia Council.

As of 2017, Russia and NATO have conducted multiple talks, and NATO claims that an improvement in their relationship with Russia relies on Russia’s adherence to international law and its pledges.

In October 2021, eight Russians were ejected from NATO’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, due to suspicions that they were unregistered operatives. Russia retaliated by severing ties with NATO in a retaliatory measure.

Also See: Most Patriotic Countries

In the future, the Partnership for Peace program and its future participants.

For the Partnership for Peace initiative, twenty nations have joined, a joint effort between NATO and the former Soviet Union. Russian membership in the Partnership for Peace program is ironic, given the country’s recent incursions into Georgia (2008), Crimea (2014), and Ukraine (2022).

All NATO Partnerships for Peace participants

As part of the Partnership for Peace initiative, the former Soviet Union’s former republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as the former Yugoslavia’s former republics of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, are included.

Austria, Finland, Ireland, Malta, and Sweden are the program’s European Union participants.

Finally, Switzerland, a European Free Trade Association member, participates in the Partnership for a Peace initiative.