Poland invokes NATO Article 4 in response to Russian drone incursion

Poland activated Article 4 of the NATO Treaty, which allows a member of the bloc to request a consultation with allies when it believes its security or territorial integrity has been threatened.

The move was a response to an incursion by Russian drones into Polish airspace during an attack on Ukraine early Wednesday morning. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said 19 drones crossed into Polish territory and that Polish and NATO aircraft shot down three or four of them. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky put the number of drones at 24.

“The shooting down of drones threatening our security is a success for Polish and NATO forces, which simultaneously changes the political situation,” Tusk told Polish lawmakers, according to Euronews. “In this regard, allied consultations have taken the form of a formal request to activate Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty.”

Later on Wednesday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that the alliance’s main decision-making body had met in response to Poland’s request. “A full assessment of the incident is ongoing,” he said. “What is clear is that the violation last night is not an isolated incident.”