2022 future members: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland, Georgia, Sweden and Ukraine | Northwest & National News
– Potential NATO membership: 35
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has sparked interest in NATO membership. Countries with long-standing non-military adaptation – such as Sweden and Finland – who seek NATO’s military protection and assurances have a blatant disregard for sovereign borders. While both countries meet all the membership criteria, it causes delays in reaching a consensus among current members – especially Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused both countries of houses Kurdish “terrorists” and rejected their applications on those grounds. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov offered a vague threat that Russia would need “rebalance the situationIn Europe, these two countries should join the alliance.
Russia made similar threats against Bosnia-Herzegovina in March 2022, citing their invasion of Ukraine as what they are willing to do if the country joins NATO. Igor Kalabukhov, Russia’s ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, said “we have shown what we expect from Ukraine’s example. If there are threats, we will respond.” according to news reports.
For the past decade and a half, Russia has done so escalated its opposition to NATO enlargement in Eastern Europe through military offensives and the carving of pro-Russian territories in developing democracies such as Georgia and Ukraine.
In 2008 – six months after NATO announced its intention to recognize both Georgia and Ukraine as members in the future – Russia invaded Georgia and began the five-day Russo-Georgian war. This resulted in the breakaway regions of Russian-backed South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
In 2014, Russia illegally annexed Ukraine’s Crimean region during the Russo-Ukrainian war. With these two events threatening NATO, the alliance chose not to allow any of the countries for fear of Russian escalation in the region.
Historically, NATO membership was not overwhelmingly supported by Ukrainian government officials or residents. In 2010, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych presented a law that banned NATO membership for Ukraine, which leaves the country – in theory more than in practice – neutral.
Today, Ukraine – under President Volodymyr Zelensky – is seeking immediate accession to NATO, primarily as a way to secure military support from the alliance in their war against Russia. NATO members including the United States are cautious about military commitments attached to the access of these disputed regions.