NATO: European allies trigger Article 4 to fortify borders from Russian forces

A group of NATO member states on Thursday have triggered NATO Article 4 to launch member state consultations over border security, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The move is a sign that the world's most powerful international military alliance sees the need to coordinate with another, and consider possible collective security action. 

Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are invoking the provision of the NATO founding treaty over concerns the conflict in neighboring Ukraine, which is not a member of NATO, will spill over into their countries, reports the Washington Examiner.

“Who can be sure what’s happening in his head?” an anonymous European official said to the Examiner, referring to Putin. “He started a war in the middle of Europe to demilitarize a neighboring country. Are we sure that that’s it? It’s always better to invest in deterrence [rather] than, when the conflict has started, to invest in fighting the conflict.”

Another official said the consultations will focus on “reinforcement, deterrence, [and] showing NATO’s determination to defend each inch of allied territory.”

Article 4 of The North Atlantic Treaty says, “The Parties will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened.”

Consultation under Article 4 can lead to collective action among the 30 member states. It has been invoked six times since the alliance formed in 1949, with Turkey responsible for five occasions.

Successful consultation under Article 5 is the provision that requires allies to treat an attack on one as an attack on all – which Ukraine is not eligible for.