International-News

Russian drones, Warsaw invokes Article 4 of the NATO Treaty

Tusk calls for extraordinary consultations after airspace violations by Belarus

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk invoked Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty after night-time incursions by Russian drones from Belarus. Speaking in Parliament, Tusk called for urgent consultations with allies to discuss threats to the country’s security and territorial integrity.

What Article 4 provides for
The article states that “the parties shall consult whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the parties is threatened”. The instrument, provided for in the 1949 NATO Treaty, allows for the convening of the North Atlantic Council (NAC), the Alliance’s decision-making body, which takes decisions by consensus and can meet at any time.

A rare precedent
Since 1949, Article 4 has been invoked only seven times. The last case dates back to 24 February 2022, the day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, when Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia requested consultations. The first time, however, was Turkey on 10 February 2003, requesting NATO’s defensive assistance during the war in Iraq.

The role of the NAC
The North Atlantic Council, provided for in Article 9 of the Treaty, represents all member countries and has political and decision-making authority on security issues. It oversees both political and military processes and, in crises such as the current one, becomes the main forum for defining the Alliance’s responses.

THE LATEST NEWS