Latvian officials: NATO Article 5 will most likely not be triggered due to the Russian missiles that fell on the territory of Poland

Kalniņš stated that both NATO and the Polish side will definitely express their condemnation to Russia for what happened, however, most likely, Article 5 of NATO will not be triggered, but this incident will probably be resolved through negotiations between the parties involved.

The Minister of Defense also admitted that at this moment there is no basis for triggering Article 5 of NATO, however, Article 4 of the NATO Treaty could be triggered, and Poland should be supported in this regard.

Pabriks said that Poland’s reaction to the incident should be awaited, which will be clear when the Polish Security Council ends its current meeting.

At the same time, the Minister of Defense emphasized that what happened was clearly a crime. “What happened cannot go unnoticed. One of the possibilities would be for NATO members and Poland to agree on the provision of additional anti-aircraft defense, including in part of the territory of Ukraine,” said Pabriks.

“Regardless of whether such a situation was intentional or not, such a situation is unacceptable. The softest reaction would be to achieve by technical means that this does not happen again, partially guaranteeing Ukraine’s security,” said the minister.

On the other hand, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs (JV) emphasized that Russian missile explosions on the territory of a NATO member state are a very dangerous escalation on the part of the Kremlin.

“Latvia expresses full solidarity with our ally Poland and will support any action that Poland deems appropriate. Russia will have to take full responsibility for the consequences,” the politician said on social networks.

Article 4 of the NATO Treaty stipulates that the member states consult together at any time whenever, in the opinion of any of the member states, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any member state is threatened.

With the war started by Russia against Ukraine, Latvia also demanded negotiations in accordance with Article 4 of NATO.

On the other hand, Article 5 of the founding agreement of the organization states that an armed attack on one or more NATO countries in Europe or North America is considered by the members of the organization as an attack on all member states. In the event of such an attack, the parties to the treaty shall take “measures they deem necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic region.” This article of the agreement is considered central, guaranteeing the security and mutual protection of NATO members.

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