Not to mention NATO blocking (or considering blocking) applicant countries due to arbitrary third-party threats/requests would weaken the entire purpose of the

Not to mention NATO blocking (or considering blocking) applicant countries due to arbitrary third-party threats/requests would weaken the entire purpose of the treaty. It would have left every current and prospective member questioning the treaty's actual effectiveness. Putin was basically asking NATO to harm itself, there was no way anyone was going to take that seriously.