Walerij Załużny, erstwhile commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, presently Ambassador of Ukraine to the UK, confirmed that both Ukrainian and Russian missiles were entering Poland.
During his speech in Lviv, he not only referred to violations of the airspace of neighbouring states, but besides questioned the reality of NATO's defence guarantees contained in the celebrated Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.
The meritorious spoke openly about what geopolitics are whispered more and more — doubts about the effectiveness of allied obligations. His words: ‘Article 5 is missing and never has been’ — it is simply a strong signal not only to the West, but besides to the countries of Central and east Europe, which hope for real protection in the event of escalation.
Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Romania are all in the immediate vicinity of the war and have origin for concern. The well-deserved stated that the Baltic States were beginning to lose religion in the allied guarantees. He suggested that the region has a silent consent to border incidents, and that reactions are frequently delayed or limited to diplomatic gestures.
It is not known what events the Deserved 1 was referring to. But let us remind you: On November 15, 2022, a bullet fell in the tube in Lublin, killing 2 people. Although initially Ukraine blamed Russia, western leaders including president Joe Biden, rapidly cooled their emotions, indicating that it was more likely that the rocket was Ukrainian.
This incidental was besides addressed by FBI manager Kash Patel, who in early March called on the U.S. legislature to analyse the transparency of military and financial assistance to Ukraine. Patel besides questioned the credibility of president Volodymyr Zelenski, saying plainly:
“Zelenski went to the planet phase and said: Russia fired a rocket towards Poland, which would be an act of war. It turned out that Russia did not launch specified a rocket.”
Patel suggested that specified misinformation in the context of a possible attack on a NATO associate should be taken into account erstwhile assessing further support for Kiev.
Does NATO work erstwhile it has to?
Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty makes it clear: an attack on 1 associate State is an attack on all. In practice, however, its launch is simply a political decision, not an automatic military response. The well - being reminds us that there are doubts as to whether each infringement will be treated with due seriousness.
In the face of the ongoing war in Ukraine, Russia's hybrid actions, cyber attacks and airspace violations, the question of NATO's readiness to actually defend its members is becoming increasingly important. Especially for countries bordering on conflict.
What's next?
It is not just a individual reflection, that is what He said. This is simply a signal sent to Western states: it is time to redefine what solidarity means in NATO. due to the fact that if the countries of the region cease to believe in Article 5, the consequences can go far beyond diplomacy — they can scope out to the decisions to reassemble, regional alliances, and their own defence strategies.
In short: The well-deserved reminded that the war in Ukraine is not in isolation. And that the boundary between “their” war and “our” safety may be thinner than we would like to believe.
