Lithuanian Prime Minister: Russia Is Testing the Limits of NATO's Article 5

Russia is deliberately testing the limits of NATO’s collective defense by engaging in actions that fall short of a direct attack, which could trigger Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty. 

This was stated by Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius in an interview with LRT.

 According to him, Moscow is trying to determine how far it can go without provoking a collective response from the Alliance. This applies not only to Lithuania, Latvia, and other countries on NATO’s eastern flank.

Sinkevičius noted that countering such actions is complicated by their nature: they are not classic military attacks and do not always constitute direct violations of state borders. He said that mercenaries may be involved in such operations, and investigations point to possible Russian involvement.

The Lithuanian prime minister emphasized the need to develop effective response mechanisms. He also stated that he would cooperate with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to strengthen coordination and accelerate responses to future incidents.

Source: LRT

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