Implementation of Article 5 in the event of a threat to a NATO member state is mandatory and not up for discussion, said Chairman of the NATO Military Committee Admiral Rob Bauer in an interview to LTV programme Rīta panorāma on Thursday, the 28th of March.
Bauer said that for years NATO has tried forming constructive partner relations with Russia, but these efforts failed. This is why in recent years Russia has been clearly defined as a threat to NATO. The alliance has changed its defensive plans accordingly.
The admiral said for a long time, especially since the start of the war in Ukraine, Russia has been avoiding contacts with the West and in recent years NATO has not been able to hold discussions with the Russian military command to attempt to de-escalate the situation through negotiations.
The threats generated by Russia have forced NATO to reinforce its eastern flank and reinforce other directions, Bauer reminded, adding that this was caused by Russia – it was not the alliance’s choice to enter a confrontation.
According to Bauer, it’s clear the West needs to help assisting Ukraine in fighting off Russia’s attacks. He admitted that the situation for Ukraine is far from simple, but Russia isn’t doing too well either, as the country has suffered very serious losses.
The admiral said it’s not longer a question of if, rather when Ukraine becomes a NATO member state.
Also read: Putin on attacking NATO: “Complete nonsense”, but F-16s will be shot down
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NATO Admiral: Russia is clearly defined as a threat to NATO
