What is NATO and why Ukraine's decision to join the group forced Russia to attack?

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 28 European countries and two North American countries. The organization implements the North Atlantic Treaty that was signed on 4 April 1949. Although that bloc no longer exists, NATO's growth across Europe and its expansion eastward is seen by Russia as a threat to its national security.

NATO currently recognizes Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, and Ukraine as aspiring members. Although, the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, wants NATO to promise never to accept Ukraine. Ukraine wants to be a member of NATO and if this happens, the US will have access to the Russian border that Vladimir Putin would never want.

The Soviet Union was broken in 1991 and 14 countries were created. Ukraine is one of those countries. When Russia declared two areas of Ukraine, Luhansk and Donetsk, as independent countries, the US Ambassador to the UN Security Council also said that Putin wants to take the world back to the era of United Russia.

Since its separation from Russia in 1991 until 2014, Ukraine has had governments that were run with Russia's support. But Ukraine has had a pro-US and pro-Europe government since 2014. Ukraine's current president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is also considered one of them.

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There are mainly three types of people in the population of Ukraine. One is Russian, the other is Ukrainian and the third is Tatars. Ukrainians don't like Russia as their businesses are occupied by Russians. Tatars are also supporters of Eastern Europe. This can also be considered as one of the reasons for the tension between the two countries.

Also, in February and March 2014, Russia invaded and subsequently annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. This is also a cause for tension between the two countries.