Ukraine invasion

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NATO Expansion: What Gorbachev Heard | National Security Archive

Western leaders gave multiple assurances against NATO expansion to Gorbachev in 1990-1991 according to declassified American, Russian, British, Germans documents

nsarchive.gwu.edu

Example Estonia, the other Baltic states (Lithuania, Latvia) had the same or a very similar way to join NATO:

Why Estonia Joined NATO​

Estonia pursued NATO membership to secure collective defense against potential aggression, especially after experiencing Soviet occupation. Membership also offered political stability, integration with Western institutions, and access to joint training and interoperability standards.
Estonia was under Soviet occupation from June 1940 (when the USSR forced the establishment of a pro‑Soviet government and subsequently annexed the country) until it regained independence on 20 August 1991, following the failed coup in Moscow and the subsequent collapse of the Soviet Union. The period includes the initial annexation, the years of Soviet rule, and the brief re‑occupation during World War II (1941‑1944) when Nazi Germany controlled the territory before the Soviets retook it.

When Estonia Joined​

• Application submitted: 1997
• Invitation to join (Madrid Summit): 2002
• Accession treaty signed: 26 March 2004
• Officially became a NATO member: 29 March 2004

The accession coincided with the NATO enlargement that also brought Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Latvia into the alliance.

Boris Yeltsin was the President of Russia in 1997.
Bill Clinton was the President of the United States in 1997.
Vladimir Putin first became President of Russia on 31 December 1999, succeeding Boris Yeltsin.

Two major wars were initiated during George W. Bush’s presidency:

Conflict	Start date	U.S. involvement initiated by
War in Afghanistan	7 Oct 2001 (Operation Enduring Freedom)	George W. Bush administration’s response to the 9/11 attacks
Iraq War	20 Mar 2003 (Operation Iraqi Freedom)	George W. Bush administration’s decision to invade Iraq

George W. Bush’s presidency was guided primarily by:

The Bush Doctrine (Foreign‑Policy Agenda)​

A set of principles that shaped U.S. international actions, especially after the September 11, 2001 attacks:

Principle	Description
Pre‑emptive war	The U.S. reserves the right to act militarily against perceived threats before they fully materialize (e.g., Iraq).
Unilateralism when necessary	Willingness to act without broad international consensus if U.S. security is at stake.
Promotion of "democracy"	Using military and diplomatic tools to spread democratic governance, particularly in the Middle East.
Strong global counter‑terrorism	Building extensive intelligence, special‑operations, and coalition networks to combat terrorist groups.

NATO Enlargement – 2004 Membership​

Country	Date of accession
Bulgaria	29 March 2004
Estonia	29 March 2004
Latvia	29 March 2004
Lithuania	29 March 2004
Romania	29 March 2004
Slovakia	29 March 2004
Slovenia	29 March 2004

(Generated with GPT-OSS 120B in duck.ai by asking the right questions.)