Russia unleashed a barrage of missiles against Ukraine on Tuesday, Nov. 15, hitting targets across the country, the Associated Press reported. Russian missiles also crossed into Poland, a NATO member country, where they killed two people, an unnamed senior U.S. intelligence official told the news service.
Polish government spokesman, Piotr Mueller, has not commented on this information. He did say on Twitter that the Polish Prime Minister called an urgent meeting with the Committee of the Council of Ministers for National Security and Defense Affairs.
The Russian Defense Ministry denied carrying out any missile strikes near the Polish border, according to Andrea Mitchell, a journalist for NBC News.
Is NATO required to respond to a Russian missile strike in Poland? Could this draw NATO into the war in Ukraine?
Has NATO responded?
Neither NATO nor Poland has commented on the Russian missile attack that, according to the Associated Press, killed two people in Poland.
In an Oct. 18 statement about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, NATO had said its “Alliance has a responsibility to ensure that this war does not escalate and spread beyond Ukraine, which would be even more devastating and dangerous.”
What does Article 5 say about NATO’s collective defense?
The 30 NATO member countries — including the U.S. — have a collective defense agreement specified in the organization’s founding treaty.
According to NATO, the collective defense agreement in Article 5 is the “heart” of the alliance. Article 5 says:
“The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defense recognized by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area.
Any such armed attack and all measures taken as a result thereof shall immediately be reported to the Security Council. Such measures shall be terminated when the Security Council has taken the measures necessary to restore and maintain international peace and security.”
What counts as an armed attack on NATO?
According to Article 6 of NATO’s founding treaty, an “armed attack on one or more of the Parties” includes “an armed attack” on any territory controlled by member countries in Europe or any of the “forces, vessels, or aircraft of any” of the member countries.
What has NATO’s response been to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?
NATO “condemns in the strongest possible terms Russia’s brutal and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine – which is an independent, peaceful and democratic country, and a close NATO partner,” the alliance said in a statement updated Oct. 18.
Ukraine is not a NATO member but cooperates closely with the alliance as a partner country.
NATO has not sent troops into Ukraine or closed the skies over Ukraine because the alliance has focused on “defensive” actions, “designed not to provoke conflict but to prevent conflict,” the organization said.
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