When it All Started.... Throwback to the 2008 Bucharest NATO Summit

At this summit, President George Bush reaffirmed U.S. support for Membership Action Plans (MAPs*) for Ukraine and Georgia, setting them on the path to NATO membership. The declaration that “Ukraine and Georgia will become NATO members” marked a turning point in geopolitics.

Russia saw NATO’s expansion as a threat, which led to the 2008 Russia-Georgia War and shapes today’s conflict in Ukraine. Both Ukraine and Georgia faced Western-backed revolutions and upheavals aimed at aligning them with NATO and the EU. Though MAPs were delayed, NATO’s support for Ukraine grew after 2014, fueling the current conflict.

*MAPs are a NATO program designed to help aspiring members meet political, military, and economic standards, though they do not guarantee membership.