Key Points
It pits early members against ones that joined after the Cold War, widening a rift that emerged with Russias invasion of Ukraine..
To mark NATOs anniversary, U.S. Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith is hosting all the diplomats on Wednesday, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and other dignitaries at her official residence outside Brussels, Truman Hall, named for President Harry S. Truman, who oversaw the alliances creation in 1949..
Adding to complexity, NATOs selection process has become much more public than in the past, when the alliance had fewer members, drew less attention and didnt figure as largely into international politics as now..
Central Europeans have expressed growing resentment in recent years that they have largely been overlooked for senior NATO positions, even though they spend proportionally more on defense than most West European members..
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has opposed NATO support for Ukraine and routinely spars with other EU members over a range of issues..
