Poland activated Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization following the interception of Russian drones that breached its airspace on Wednesday. This occurrence transpired after Russia’s significant aerial assault on Ukraine, marking the first instance of a NATO member firing shots since the commencement of the conflict in 2022.
Article 4, a lesser-known provision compared to Article 5 of the NATO treaty, requires member states to engage in consultations if they perceive a threat to the territorial integrity, political independence, or security of any party. Consequently, Poland exercised its right to confer with fellow NATO nations.
In response to the incident involving Russian drones in Polish airspace, NATO allies promptly convened discussions on the matter. These deliberations were held within the framework of a routine assembly of NATO ambassadors at the organization’s headquarters.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk informed Parliament that the consultations were conducted under Article 4 of the treaty, which established NATO in 1949 following World War II. Analyst Bob Deen highlighted that Article 4 aims to enhance coordination and understanding within the alliance regarding external threats, enabling all members to address urgent concerns within the North Atlantic Council.
This is not the first time Poland has invoked Article 4 in recent years, having done so at the outset of Russia’s incursion into Ukraine. While Article 4 consultations do not automatically trigger action under Article 5, the two provisions are interconnected but distinct. Notably, Article 5 was only invoked once following the 9/11 attacks on the United States, bypassing Article 4 directly.
In a similar vein, Turkey had invoked Article 4 multiple times between 2003 and 2020 in response to developments in Syria and Iraq. This demonstrates that while Article 4 is increasingly utilized in contemporary contexts, it does not inherently lead to military measures or activation of Article 5.
