NATO Will Remain a Regional Alliance Open to European Countries, Says Stoltenberg

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) does not intend to expand beyond Europe. This was announced by the organization’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations, according to TASS.

“NATO will remain a regional alliance; only European countries will be able to join. NATO will not be a global alliance in the application of Article 5 (the principle of collective defense),” Stoltenberg stated.

He explained the alliance’s cooperation with Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and other countries outside Europe by emphasizing that security is a global issue, not a regional one. Stoltenberg clarified that working with such countries does not mean they will join NATO.

He also reiterated the exclusion of the possibility of inviting Ukraine to NATO during active military operations.

In August, the NATO Secretary General speculated that Sweden would join the alliance this fall. In May 2022, when Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that it would take “both military-technical and other measures” in response to this decision.