Rutte confirms Poland has requested consultations under Article 4 of NATO Treaty
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has said the alliance had held a meeting this morning to discuss the Russian drone violation of Polish airspace and confirmed that Poland had requested consultations under Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty.
"The Alliance held a meeting on Wednesday morning to discuss the Russian drone violation of Polish airspace... Poland has requested consultations under Article 4 of the Washington Treaty. Allies expressed their solidarity with Poland and condemned Russia's irresponsible behavior," Rutte said.
The Secretary General said a full assessment of the incident was ongoing.
"It is clear that last night's violation is not an isolated incident... Allies are determined to protect every inch of Alliance territory. We will closely monitor the situation on our eastern flank," he added.
Rutte also confirmed continued assistance and solidarity with Ukraine in repelling Russian aggression.
According to the North Atlantic Alliance website, Article 4 of the NATO founding treaty allows member countries to bring a matter to the attention of the North Atlantic Council (NAC, NATO's main political decision-making body) and discuss it with allies.
The article states: "The Parties shall consult each other whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened." Since the Alliance was founded in 1949, Article 4 has been invoked seven times. The most recent request for consultations under Article 4 was made by Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.