NATO Reaffirms Unwavering Article 5 Commitment After Russian Airspace Breach
NATO condemned Russia's recent violation of Estonian airspace and promised to use all necessary military and non-military means to protect its allies and fulfill its obligations under Article 5 of the Washington Treaty.
The Gaze reports on it, referring to Ukrinform.
On Tuesday, the NATO North Atlantic Council held a meeting at the ambassadorial level via videoconference following Russia's violation of Estonian airspace on September 19. Following the meeting, a statement was released in which the Alliance strongly condemned Russia's dangerous actions and reaffirmed its commitment to Article 5 of the Washington Treaty.
It should be recalled that three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets violated Estonian airspace for more than ten minutes, after which allied aircraft were scrambled to intercept and escort them. NATO noted that this violation is part of a broader pattern of increasingly irresponsible behavior by Russia and recalled that similar incidents have also occurred in Poland, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Romania.
“We express our full solidarity with all allies whose airspace has been violated,” the statement goes.
The North Atlantic Council called on Russia not to doubt that NATO will use all necessary military and non-military instruments for self-defense and deterrence of all threats.
“Our commitments under Article 5 are unwavering,” it reads.
It also noted that Russia's irresponsible actions will not deter allies from their commitment to support Ukraine, whose security contributes to their own, in exercising its inherent right to self-defense against Russia's military aggression.
NATO has also confirmed the strengthening of its deterrence and defense capabilities, in particular by enhancing air defense along its eastern flank.
This is the second time in two weeks that the North Atlantic Council has convened under Article 4. The first time occurred on September 10, when the Council held consultations in response to a large-scale violation of Polish airspace by Russian drones.
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