In a move that restored NATO to its principles on which it was founded nearly 70 years ago, the alliance considered, on Wednesday, that Russia represents “the most important and direct threat to the security of allies, peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic region.”
This condemnation was not entirely surprising, given that it followed earlier statements by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that the Russian war in Ukraine had created the largest security crisis in Europe since World War II.
However, this development is considered an important shift in the view of the NATO countries, which described Moscow a decade ago as a “strategic partner”.
The war in Ukraine shook the 30-nation alliance and forced it to undertake the largest overhaul of its defenses since the end of the Cold War.
Member states at the summit in Madrid agreed on the new NATO Strategy Roadmap, updated for the first time since 2010, and stated that “we cannot exclude the possibility of an attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Allies.” In an effort to counter the threat from Russia, the commanders agreed to reinforce their forces in Eastern Europe.
relationship development
NATO was established in 1949 in response to any external attack, confronting the “communist menace” and the expansion of the former Soviet Union towards Western Europe as well as promoting cooperation between European nations torn apart by World War II.
With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the disintegration of the socialist system, a radical change occurred in the objectives and strategy of the Alliance. The goal changed from the principle of legitimate defense to the principle of collective security.
Relations began to develop positively between NATO and Russia in the same year within the framework of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, as well as following Moscow joined the Partnership for Peace program in 1994, which allows for the establishment of military exercises, peacekeeping operations and joint information exchange, as well as during that period several important agreements were signed. regarding their cooperation.
Warsaw Pact and Strategic Partnership
Nevertheless, the development in relations between the two camps was tinged with caution, especially since Russia was concerned regarding the successive accession of the Warsaw Pact countries, which Moscow established in 1955, to NATO.
In 1999, the borders of the Alliance came very close to the borders of the Russian Federation as a result of the accession of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland. Five years later, the former Soviet republics of Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia followed, as well as Slovenia, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Romania.
Despite all this, in 2010, NATO leaders agreed at the Lisbon summit on a key document outlining the alliance’s vision, according to which Russia was considered a “strategic partner” in a move aimed at building a long-term partnership with their old opponent in the Cold War.
At that time, Dmitry Medvedev, the then Russian president, was present at the summit, and the two sides agreed on that.
This partnership did not last long following relations between NATO countries and Russia came to a near standstill in 2014 when Moscow invaded Crimea, as NATO member states decided unanimously to suspend civil and military cooperation with Russia.
Relations remained tense until the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which was the last straw and reversed the dramatic deterioration in the alliance’s relations with Moscow over the past decade.
