KEY POINTS
- NATO invoked Article 4 at Poland’s request after alleged Russian drones violated its airspace.
- Polish PM Donald Tusk called the incident a “large-scale provocation” by Russia.
- Poland reported 19 airspace violations overnight, with three drones shot down.
- Russia denied involvement, calling Poland’s claims “groundless” and lacking evidence.
- Trump criticised Russia, while the EU and UN warned of wider conflict risks.
- Article 4 triggers consultations; Article 5, invoked only once before, would mean collective defence.
BRUSSELS: NATO, at Poland’s request, has invoked Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty and launched consultations following the violation of Polish airspace by alleged Russian drones, government spokesman Adam Szłapka told the Polsat TV channel on Wednesday.
“NATO has invoked Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty,” the spokesman said. Later, the spokesman wrote on the X social network that, at Poland’s request, consultations were held within the framework of Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty.
Earlier on Wednesday, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he had asked NATO to open consultations under Article 4 of the alliance’s treaty after Poland shot down drones in its airspace following what he called a “large-scale provocation” by Russia.
On Wednesday, Poland’s Armed Forces Operational Command reported the destruction of several alleged Russian drones that had violated the country’s airspace.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk reported that overnight from September 9 to September 10, 19 violations of the country’s airspace were recorded, with all drones entering from Belarusian territory.
So far, three drones have been shot down. In response to the incident, the Polish authorities decided to temporarily close airspace over part of the country, including Warsaw Chopin Airport.
Russia’s RIA state news agency quoted a Russian diplomat as calling the accusations of an incursion “groundless” and saying Poland had not given any evidence that the drones shot down were of Russian origin.
Russia’s foreign ministry accused Poland of spreading “myths” and lacking evidence.
Repeating a statement by Russia’s military that it had not targeted Poland and that its drones had a range of 700 kilometres (435 miles), Russia’s foreign ministry said: “These concrete facts fully debunk the myths once again being spread by Poland to further escalate the Ukraine crisis.”
The Russian embassy in Warsaw separately told AFP that “Poland has failed to provide evidence of the Russian origin of the objects that entered Polish airspace.”
Trump calls out Russia
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump called out Russia for “violating” Poland’s airspace with drones, after the White House said he was tracking reports on the intrusion.
“What’s with Russia violating Poland’s airspace with drones? Here we go!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. Trump did not elaborate on what he meant by the last part of the brief message.
Trump warned at the weekend that he was ready to impose more sanctions on Moscow over its war with Ukraine.
The White House announced that Trump would soon speak with his Polish counterpart Karol Nawrocki.
“President Trump and the White House are tracking the reports out of Poland, and there are plans for President Trump to speak with President Nawrocki today,” a White House official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The European Union warned that Russia was trying to “test the unity” of Western allies.
Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned of a “real risk” of the war in Ukraine spreading beyond the country’s borders.
“The incident… again underlines the regional impact and real risk of expansion of this devastating conflict,” said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
What is Article 4?
Articles 4 and 5 of the treaty outline response measures by NATO countries in the event that one of them is threatened as well as the steps of the bloc’s collective defence.
Article 4 states that members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territory, political independence or security of any of them is threatened.
Under Article 4, discussions at the North Atlantic Council – NATO’s principal political decision-making body – could potentially lead to some form of joint decision or action.
Since NATO’s creation in 1949, Article 4 has been invoked seven times, most recently in February 2022 when Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia sought consultations following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
NATO ambassadors in November 2022 held an emergency meeting after a missile strike killed two people in Poland and raised global alarm that the war could spill into neighbouring countries.
What is Article 5?
If Russia were determined to have attacked the territory of a member state, the focus would then shift to Article 5, the cornerstone of the founding treaty of NATO.
The alliance was created in 1949 with the US military as its powerful mainstay essentially to counter the Soviet Union and its eastern bloc satellites during the Cold War.
The charter stipulates that “the Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all.”
“They agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defence recognised by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area,” it says.
Is Invoking Article 5 Automatic?
No. Following an attack on a member state, the others come together to determine whether they agree to regard it as an Article 5 situation.
There is no time limit on how long such consultations could take, and experts say the language is flexible enough to allow each member to decide how far to go in responding to armed aggression against another.
Article 5 has been activated once before – on behalf of the United States, in response to the September 11, 2001, hijacked-plane attacks on New York and Washington.
