Is NATO rediscovering the meaning of its existence?

The head of the department of international organizations and global political processes of world politics of Moscow State University, Andrei Sidorov, said that NATO is currently rediscovering the meaning of its existence. April 4 marked the 66th anniversary of the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty, which introduced a system of common defense for 12 states in order to "protect Europe from the Soviet sphere of influence." Over time, the number of NATO members has increased to 28. Today NATO intensifies grouping in Eastern Europe, where additional American troops are being deployed, conducting large-scale exercises near Russia's borders, planning to double the capacity of response forces, and individual members of the Alliance declare their readiness to deliver lethal weapons to Kiev.