Has Putin and Russia created the expansion of NATO?

[independentusa]

With his own actions by invading several of his neighbors and taking parts of their countries, Putin has created a situation where more nations wish to get under the NATO umbrella for their own security .Now with Russia invading Ukraine, even nations like Sweden and Finland are beginning to look at joining NATO. I suspect that if Ukraine had already been a NATO nation, Putin would have thought twice before invading and taking on the whole of NATO. In conclusion, Putin and Russia have caused the expansion of NATO and his actions in Ukraine may have it expanding even more in the future.

 

[Craig234]

Here's an idea: a lot of smaller, independent countries with their right respected by everyone, not needing to align with powerful countries.

What seems much more to actually happen, though, is that those powerful countries are rivals and do want those other countries aligned with them, however much they try to make it look good. We want Russia's neighbors to be allied with us; Putin wants them allied with him. Unaligned seems harder than it looks.

 

[Cameron]

With his own actions by invading several of his neighbors and taking parts of their countries, Putin has created a situation where more nations wish to get under the NATO umbrella for their own security .Now with Russia invading Ukraine, even nations like Sweden and Finland are beginning to look at joining NATO. I suspect that if Ukraine had already been a NATO nation, Putin would have thought twice before invading and taking on the whole of NATO. In conclusion, Putin and Russia have caused the expansion of NATO and his actions in Ukraine may have it expanding even more in the future.

I think probably. We do still have to think about who we are willing to defend if it came down to it and the cost, etc. But Putin has made that choice a lot easier for many Americans. I doubt there will be the same kind of pushback regarding cost, etc., that there has been recently.

I hope Finland and Sweden join.

 

[Roadvirus]

With his own actions by invading several of his neighbors and taking parts of their countries, Putin has created a situation where more nations wish to get under the NATO umbrella for their own security .Now with Russia invading Ukraine, even nations like Sweden and Finland are beginning to look at joining NATO. I suspect that if Ukraine had already been a NATO nation, Putin would have thought twice before invading and taking on the whole of NATO. In conclusion, Putin and Russia have caused the expansion of NATO and his actions in Ukraine may have it expanding even more in the future.

Putzin definitely fumbled the ball on this whole thing,

Assumed NATO was too divided
Assumed Ukraine would fall easy
Assumed the world wouldn't punish him
Assumed his own citizens wouldn't object