NATO turns 76 — when and why the Alliance was created

Exactly 76 years ago, on April 4, 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty on a defence and military-political alliance was signed in Washington. NATO has become the foundation of the unified Euro-Atlantic Security System. Ukraine has been striving to become a member of the Alliance for many years.

Novyny.LIVE will tell you when and why NATO was created.

Why was it decided to create NATO?

The United Kingdom and the United States conceived the idea of creating the Alliance. It happened after the end of the Second World War, when Europe was virtually in ruins. The major countries agreed that it was better to cooperate rather than to be at odds, especially in the military sense. Among other things, the Alliance was designed to deter Soviet aggression. The well-known Article 5 of the Allies stipulated that "an armed attack on one or more of them... will be regarded as an attack on all of them".

Thus, on April 4, 1949, 12 countries from Europe and North America created NATO. The North Atlantic Treaty was signed by:

• Belgium,
• Canada,
• Denmark,
• France,
• Iceland,
• Italy,
• Luxembourg,
• Netherlands,
• Norway,
• Portugal,
• United Kingdom,
• United States.

In 1950, the Allies decided to create the command structure with a military headquarters. It happened after the USSR decided to test the atomic bomb in 1949. The decision was also influenced by the outbreak of the Korean War. The headquarters were located in the Parisian suburb of Rocquencourt. The Supreme Allied Command in Europe was headed by the American Dwight Eisenhower.

What Changed with the Creation of NATO

The signing of the North Atlantic Treaty stabilised the situation in Europe. After that, the so-called "post-war economic miracle" began. By 1955, Greece, Turkey, and West Germany joined the Alliance. In addition, at this time, the Alliance adopted the strategic doctrine of using nuclear weapons in response to aggression.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, there was talk that NATO's existence no longer made sense. It was said that the Alliance should be dissolved. However, such ideas remained at the level of talk. Over time, many countries that had previously been under the influence of the USSR decided to join the Alliance. Currently, 32 countries are members of NATO.

North Atlantic Alliance forces

NATO's main forces are the armies of its allies. In addition, the Alliance has many armed forces units that are on combat duty and provide collective defence. This includes, in particular, the four standing NATO naval groups.

In addition, the Alliance has a Joint Air Defenсe System. It works as a combination of national air defence systems of individual countries. It also includes the Alliance's ballistic missile defence capabilities.

NATO, among other things, patrols the airspace of its allies. This includes those states that are unable to do so on their own. Thus, NATO aircraft protect the airspace of Albania, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Slovenia around the clock.

Will Ukraine join NATO?

Talks about Ukraine's accession to NATO began after our country gained independence in 1991. Six years later, the Charter on a Distinctive Partnership was even signed. However, in 2014, relations between Ukraine and the Alliance did not develop dynamically.

After Russia invaded the territory of Ukraine, NATO membership became a goal for our country. In September 2020, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, adopted the new National Security Strategy. It provided the foundation for deepening the distinctive partnership between Ukraine and the North Atlantic Alliance.

During the full-scale invasion, NATO countries began to actively assist Ukraine in its fight against Russia. They supplied Ukraine with arms and ammunition and organised training for the military.

As a reminder, the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, stated that the United States has no plans to withdraw from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). However, he emphasized that all NATO member states should increase defense spending.

We also reported on the visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andrii Sybiha, to NATO Headquarters. Several bilateral meetings are planned.