When would the NATO alliance event occur?

NATO is strengthening its eastern flank because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Baltic states are sounding the alarm. When would the alliance case apply? An explanation.

Munich/Brussels – Poland’s solidarity with its eastern neighbor in the Ukraine war is remarkable. Hundreds of thousands of refugees from the military conflict with Russia are being taken in. What’s more, Warsaw sent large amounts of ammunition and also urged the German government in Berlin to provide arms to the Ukrainian army and the country’s territorial defense forces.

Alliance case: Poland and the Baltic States trust in Article 5 of the NATO treaty

It should be noted that in addition to the much-vaunted willingness to help the refugees, Poland is also presumably pursuing a military self-interest. After all, skepticism about Russia and the circle of political power in Moscow has grown historically. A brief look back: In the days of the Russian Tsarist Empire at the beginning of the 20th century, there was always political tension. In the First World War, both sides then fought against each other with a heavy toll of blood.

In 1939, Adolf Hitler’s Wehrmacht and Josef Stalin’s Red Army finally divided the Polish territories between themselves, and after the German withdrawal in World War II, the Soviet Union incorporated Poland as a constituent republic.

In the video: Compact – The news about the Ukraine war and the attack by Russia

Today, the country with around 38 million inhabitants is part of the so-called eastern flank of the transatlantic defense alliance NATO, which stretches from the Romanian Black Sea coast to the Baltic Sea in the Baltic States. The Baltic states of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia have all recently voiced unanimous fears that Russia could also be planning an invasion of their countries – which would trigger the so-called alliance event.

Ukraine war: when will the NATO alliance come into force? Clear commitment to Article 5

Just like with a possible attack on Poland or Slovakia. After the Russian attack on Ukraine, NATO sent up to 40,000 soldiers to the east, according to reports image up to 13,700 German Bundeswehr soldiers who will be stationed in Lithuania, among other places. And who prepare for emergencies.

Said alliance case is regulated in article 5 of the NATO treaty and refers to article 51 of the statute of the United Nations (UN), which describes the right to self-defense in the event of an attack. At its core, Article 5 states that all 30 European and North American member states shall take concerted military countermeasures should one or more members be attacked by a foreign aggressor “to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area”.

Article 5 was a consequence of the so-called Cold War between western NATO and the eastern Warsaw Pact in the second half of the 20th century, now it is suddenly becoming an issue again.

We will protect and defend every inch of NATO territory.

During a troop visit to the NATO air base in Lask, Poland, in early March 2022, in the midst of the Russia-Ukraine war, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reiterated: “Our commitment to Article 5, our collective defense clause, is irrefutable. We will protect and defend every inch of NATO territory.”

(pm)