北约东扩与乌克兰危机

NATO Eastward Expansion and the Ukraine Crisis

冷战结束后,北约先后实现了五轮东扩,俄罗斯对北约东扩的态度经历了从警惕到希望加入北约再到强烈反对的变化。俄罗斯政府认为,美国曾承诺北约不东扩,但1990年两德统一时,美俄之间并没有就北约停止扩张达成明确的协议。2021年以后,普京政府在北约东扩,尤其是乌克兰加入北约问题上态度愈发强硬,要求北约作出停止扩张的法律承诺。乌克兰对北约东扩的态度则经历了从摇摆到不再谋求加入北约,再到以宪法和法律形式确定争取加入北约的变化。美国的冷战思维和俄罗斯的传统观念是乌克兰危机爆发和不断升级的两个重要因素。美俄在北约东扩问题上的龃龉反映出双方对主权不可侵犯和安全不可分割原则的各自主张。

After the end of the cold war,NATO has achieved five rounds of eastwardexpansion.Russia’s attitude towards NATO eastward expansion has changed fromvigilance to hope to join NATO,and then to a strong opposition.The Russiangovernment insists that the U.S.had promised that NATO would not expand eastward,but there was no clear commitment or agreement between the U.S.and Russia to stopNATO expansion when Germany was reunified in 1990.After 2021,Putin’s governmentbecame more and more tough on NATO eastward expansion,especially on Ukraine’saccession to NATO,and demanded that NATO make a legal commitment to stop itsexpansion.Ukraine’s attitude towards NATO has changed from vacillation tononalignment,and then to its insistence on joining NATO.The Cold War mindset of theU.S.and the traditional concept of Russia are two important factors for the outbreak andescalation of the Ukraine Crisis.The conflict between the U.S.and Russia over NATOeastward expansion reflects the respective understanding of the principles of inviolabilityof sovereignty and indivisibility of security.