NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte reported on the Alliance's consultations in connection with the intrusion of Russian drones into Polish airspace. At Warsaw's request, Article 4 of the NATO Charter was activated, and the North Atlantic Council convened for consultations amid a «security threat».
NATO countries expressed solidarity with Poland and condemned Russia's reckless behavior. «Allies are determined to defend every inch of their territory. We will closely monitor the situation on our eastern flank, constantly maintaining our air defense systems in a state of readiness», — said in the statement of the NATO Secretary General. He also noted that NATO's air defense systems and aviation «successfully ensured the protection of the Alliance's territory».
Mark Rutte also emphasized that «allies are determined to strengthen support for Ukraine amid the escalation of the Russian military campaign».
Article 4 of the NATO Charter implies consultations among alliance countries in the event of a threat to one of them. Earlier, NATO stated that they do not consider the intrusion of Russian drones into Polish airspace as an attack.
Poland discovered seven drones and parts of one missile, reported Interior Ministry spokeswoman Karolina Galecka at a briefing.
In Russia, the accusations against Russia were called «groundless». As stated by the acting chargé d'affaires of Russia in Poland, Andrey Ordash, Polish authorities did not provide evidence of the Russian origin of the drones shot down over the country's territory.