The alliance has, however, designated the former Soviet country as one of its "enhanced opportunity partners," a title granted to non-member countries that have contributed to NATO-led operations and missions. Ukraine has expressed a desire to join NATO but has never been formally admitted. AP Photo/Olivier Matthys Why isn't Ukraine a member of NATO already? NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a media conference after convening an online NATO leaders summit at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Friday, Feb. "Any European country in a position to further the principles of the Washington Treaty and contribute to security in the Euro-Atlantic area can become a member of the Alliance at the invitation of the North Atlantic Council," according to NATO's website. NATO employs an "open door policy" for aspiring members. What does it take to become a member of the alliance? The body now consists of two countries in North America and 28 European countries, including several former Soviet nations. The alliance contained just 12 countries when it was founded but has more than doubled in size in the decades since. NATO serves as a collective security system, wherein its member states agree to mutually defend any attack on a member party - a pledge enshrined in the treaty's most famous tenet, Article 5. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is a military alliance created in 1949 to provide collective security against Soviet expansionism and to encourage European political integration in the aftermath of World War II. US officials have not confirmed the reports. Russia denied reports that its weapons landed in Poland. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has long been vocal about his country's desire to secure both NATO membership and additional assistance. Ukraine's pursuit of NATO membership - a quest intrinsically aligned with Western expansionism - has been cited as a key factor in Putin's decision to invade the former Soviet territory in February.
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