NATO on Thursday condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and reiterated its commitment to Article 5, which compels all members of the alliance to come to the aid of another member if it’s attacked.
“We will continue to take all necessary steps to protect and defend the security of our Allied populations and every inch of Allied territory. Our commitment to Article 5 of the Washington Treaty is iron-clad,” the 30-member military alliance said in a statement.
NATO issued the statement while leaders of its member nations are huddled in Brussels, Belgium, for an emergency summit to plot out their response to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Concerns of a possible Russian attack on a NATO country are at the highest levels in decades. Several Baltic states near Ukraine — including Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia — are all members of NATO.
As Russian President Vladimir Putin wages a war to gain territory in Ukraine, which he says is historically Russian land, fears mount that he could make similar claims about other Baltic states. Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia were ruled by Moscow for hundreds of years.
In its statement, NATO said it was taking steps to ensure the security and defense of all allies, stressing that its measures are “preventive, proportionate, and non-escalatory.” It also said it will enhance its ability to fend off cyberattacks.
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NATO also said it was united against Russia, also calling out Belarus, which is a close ally of Moscow. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has allowed Mr. Putin to conduct large-scale military drills in his country.
“We condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the strongest possible terms. We call on President Putin to immediately stop this war and withdraw military forces from Ukraine, and call on Belarus to end its complicity,” the statement said.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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