On Wednesday, NATO member Poland invoked the alliance’s Article 4 in response to the incursion by suspected Russian drones into its airspace.This marked the second time Poland has done so with the first instance being on March 3, 2014, once again, against Russia following its illegal annexation of Crimea.
Does this mean that NATO has finally declared war against Putin’s unprovoked aggression in Europe? Not quite.
What Is NATO Article 4 and How Does It Work?
Wednesday marked the first time a member of the Western military alliance is known to have fired shots during Russia’s ongoing 3-year+ war in Ukraine. Notably, the incident in Poland came just 3 days after Russia’s largest aerial attack on Ukraine since the war began in 2022. 810 Russian drones and decoys rained terror on Ukraine with 747 drones and four missiles eventually shot down.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk praised NATO military’s swift actions but noted that the incursion itself changed “the political situation” and thus necessitated “a formal request to activate Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty.”
But what is Article 4 of the Alliance’s founding treaty and how is it different from the better known Article 5?
Under Article 4, any member nation can urgently put forward threats or developments against it on the agenda of the North Atlantic Council - NATO’s principal political decision-making body.
Article 4 states that “Parties will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened”. Invoking it will thus lead to its discussion and, potentially, some form of joint decision or action on behalf of the Alliance. This does not mean it automatically leads to any action under Article 5 of the treaty.
For context - Article 5 is NATO’s collective defence guarantee which says “an attack against one Ally is considered as an attack against all Allies”.
When Has NATO Invoked Article 4 in the Past?
While Article 4 has been invoked 7 times since its inception in 1949, the more serious and actionable Article 5 has been invoked for the first and only time after the 9/11 terrorist attacks against the US. So, Article 4 can be invoked without triggering Article 5, and vice versa.
The most recent occasion when Article 4 was invoked was on Feb 24, 2022. In that instance, Poland joined Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Slovakia in requesting consultations following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Importantly, Moscow has denied responsibility for the incident.
