NATO Decides to Include Ukraine, Georgia,  Affirms Expansion to East

Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO) said that the Western alliance decided to accept Ukraine and Georgia as new members.

He  pointed out that the decision was   taken early 2008 and the alliance will not abandon its expansion policy.

He  stressed that at the same time the   timing of the two ex-Soviet states to   join the alliance is still unknown

The American magazine "Military Watch" quoted the Secretary General of NATO as saying in recent statements that it is unlikely that the alliance would restrict its membership and abandon the expansion policy it had previously adopted.

The issue of Georgia's accession to NATO formed a cornerstone of the tension that erupted between Moscow and Tbilisi since the mid-2000s, culminating in the blitzkrieg launched by Russia against Georgia in 2008.

However,  Moscow's fears escalated over the possible accession of Ukraine to NATO, especially after the overthrow of the pro-Russian Ukrainian government in 2014 and the establishment of another new government more open to the West.

The armed forces of Georgia and Ukraine have increased their cooperation and integration with NATO, but their full membership in the alliance will pave the way for them to obtain larger arms sales, as well as provide sites for Western nuclear platforms and capabilities on their soil.

The American Magazine of Military Watch said that these situations are viewed by Moscow as a serious threat to its national security, allowing "NATO" to strike key targets across Russian territory without giving Moscow only a very short warning time when compared to other strikes sites.