Military alliance, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has been warned by Russian President, Vladimir Putin to refrain from pursuing its eastward expansion. President Putin pointed out that Russia will view the induction of neighboring Ukraine and Georgia into NATO as an instant danger to its security and hence respond accordingly. The 26-membered NATO, on the other hand, has not yet given a membership action plan to Ukraine and Georgia. But, it was made apparent that the NATO membership is open to these two post-Soviet republics. The soon-to-retire President of Russia Putin, therefore, made the announcement after the NATO-Russia Council meeting in Bucharest.

 

The Russian president did not mince words. He said that the attendance of a strong military bloc on Russian borders, whose members are guided by Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, will a direct threat to national security. Mr Putin further rejected the NATO claim that its expansion was aimed to strengthen democracy. The Russian President cited the case of Latvia, where allegedly the prejudice against Russian-speaking ‘non-citizens’ is prevalent even after the Baltic state became NATO member. Putin also decried NATO guarantee that the bloc’s extension did not threaten Russia.