Poland triggered Article 4 of North Atlantic Treaty Agency, NATO, after reporting 19 “violations” of airspace by Russian drones on Wednesday.
The NATO fighter jets shot down multiple Russian drones that violated Polish airspace during attacks on nearby Ukraine, marking the first time they were fired by the Alliance since the start of the war in Ukraine. The Polish Interior Ministry found a total of 16 drones scattered throughout the country later on Wednesday.
Currently, NATO allies are formally debating what Polish officials call “Russian provocation.” This is something you need to know about the call to Article 4.
What is NATO Article 4?
The Transatlantic Defense Alliance adopts the principle that an attack on one is all attacks. Article 4 of the treaty states that member states can formally pose a question to the attention of the North Atlantic Council, the main decision-making body of NATO.
The article states: “The parties will consult together whenever the integrity of any territory, political independence, or the security of the parties is threatened.”
Do not confuse it with Article 5, the cornerstone of the alliance, stating an armed attack on one NATO Ally.
According to NATO, the argument triggered by Article 4 “may lead to some form of joint decision or action on behalf of the alliance.” The consultation process is important as all alliance decisions are made by consensus.
Poland’s call for consultation took place on Wednesday morning at a regular meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Brussels, Belgium.
What did Poland say about calling Article 4?
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tass announced an invasion of his country’s airspace on Wednesday, saying a “large proportion” of drones came from Belarus. He called the incident an “unprecedented violation” and confirmed that Poland had summoned Article 4 of NATO.
Other Polish officials say the vast number of drones have made it clear that this was a deliberate act by Russia. Polish prosecutors said at least some of the drones have been identified as Russian versions of Iranian-designed Shahed, known as the Gerbera.
Task, who addressed the Polish Parliament on Wednesday, said there is no reason to say the country is at war, but it was closer to conflict than any point since World War II. He said Poland faces “an enemy that does not hide hostile intentions.”
Polish President Karol Naulocky said on Thursday: “The Russian provocation is merely an attempt to test our capabilities and responses. It was an attempt to check the mechanisms of action and response within NATO,” he added: “Because I passed all these tests.”
On Thursday, the Polish forces announced restrictions on air traffic in the country’s eastern areas until December 9th.
The country also said the UN Security Council will convene an emergency meeting to discuss drone intrusions.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that it had launched a strike against Ukraine overnight on Wednesday. “The targets on Polish territory are not planned for destruction,” he said, adding that the drones used in Ukraine have a flight range of less than 700 kilometers (435 miles). Without providing evidence, Russia called the incident “spread repeatedly by Poland to further escalate the Ukraine crisis.”
When has Article 4 been triggered in the past?
Since NATO was established in 1949, Article 4 has been triggered seven other times.
More recently, Poland, along with Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Slovakia, requested that discussions be held in February 2022 immediately after the full-scale invasion of Russia’s Ukraine.
Poland previously summoned Article 4 in March 2014. According to the alliance, after tensions in nearby Ukraine have risen as a result of Russia’s aggressive actions.” The move came after the illegal annexation of Russia of the Crimea.
All other rare calls in Article 4 were from Türkiye, calling for consultations relating to threats from Iraq and Syria. Turkey last triggered Article 4 in July 2015, and was subjected to domestic terrorist attacks.
Following a meeting of the North Atlantic Council on Wednesday, NATO Executive Director Mark Latte said “The allies have expressed solidarity with Poland and condemned Russia’s reckless actions.”
“A full assessment of the incident is ongoing. The violation last night is not an isolated incident,” Latte added.
On Thursday, NATO’s Supreme Alliance, US General Europe, said it is not yet known whether the drone invasion in Poland was an intentional or unintentional act, according to Reuters.
President Donald Trump suggested that the airspace invasion may have been a coincidence.
“It could have been a mistake,” he told reporters while leaving the White House. “It may have been a mistake, but despite that, I am not happy to do anything about anything that relates to the whole situation, but hopefully it will end.”
Previously, the president responded with some degree of lament. “What about Russia violating Polish airspace with drones?” Trump asked in a short post on Truth Social Wednesday. “Now let’s go!”
According to the US State Department, there are currently around 10,000 US troops stationed in Poland.
CNN’s Kevin Liptak, Antonia Mortensen, Ivana Kottasová and Nick Paton Walsh contributed to this report.
