Polish expert: Russian drone incident may trigger NATO Article 4

The violation of Polish airspace by Russian drones could lead to the activation of Article 4 of the NATO Charter, which calls for consultations among member states when one of them perceives a threat to its territorial integrity, political independence, or security, Polish political expert Yevgeniy Bilonozhko told Report.

"Does this attack mark a new stage of escalation or direct confrontation between NATO, Poland, and Russia? I think it's too early to say that. What is certain is that this is the first major intrusion posing a threat to the civilian population and operations of civil airports," he stated.

Bilonozhko recalled that Poland is a member of both NATO and the European Union.

"The recent visit to Washington confirms the coordination efforts between the two countries. Any decisions regarding the current situation will be made in coordination with Washington, Berlin, Brussels, and London. Poland will not act independently or without the consent of its allies," he stressed.

He also noted that NATO has significant experience in managing such crises and that Poland bases all of its decisions on close coordination with its partners. Coordination between the president and government is also a key factor, he added.

Under Article 4 of NATO's founding treaty, member countries can bring an issue to the attention of the North Atlantic Council and discuss it with Allies. The article states:

"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."