"Last night demonstrated that we are capable of defending every inch of Nato territory, including its airspace" Nato secretary general Mark Rutte declared following the violation of Polish airspace by around two dozen Russian drones (see AVIONEWS). "My message to Vladimir Putin is clear: stop the war in Ukraine, stop the escalation of war that is now fundamentally affecting innocent civilians and civilian infrastructure, stop violating allies' airspace, and know that we are ready, that we are vigilant, and that we will defend every inch of Nato territory" Rutte said, addressing the Russian leader.

In response to the Russian threat, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk invoked Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty -one of its pillars, along with Article 5- which provides that "the parties shall consult each other whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence, or security of any of the parties is threatened". This procedure has been used seven times since the creation of the Atlantic Alliance, most recently on the day of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Tusk also clarified that the drones that flew over Poland today came directly from Belarus. The proposal regarding Article 4 was discussed by the North Atlantic Council meeting this morning. "A full assessment of the incident is underway. What is clear is that last night's violation is not an isolated incident" Rutte stated after the meeting. "The Allies have expressed solidarity with Poland and denounced Russia's reckless behavior. This only reinforces the importance of Nato and the path agreed upon by the Allies at this year's Hague Summit. We must invest more in our defense, increase defense production so we have what we need to deter and defend, and continue to support Ukraine, whose security is intertwined with our own," he stressed.

Prime minister Giorgia Meloni also spoke out on the incident: "On behalf of the Italian government, I express full solidarity with Poland for the serious and unacceptable violation by Russia of Polish airspace and the Atlantic Alliance. Italy will continue to work to ensure European security, starting with Ukraine, and to achieve a just and lasting peace". "An unacceptable act that I firmly condemn, with a dual purpose: to provoke and to test. Moscow is deliberately fueling an escalation that no one wants", added defense minister Guido Crosetto, who then expressed solidarity with his counterpart Kosiniak Kamysz and the entire Polish people. The Italian minister also attended a summit with France, Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom; following the meeting, British defense minister John Healey asked his armed forces to consider strengthening Nato's air defense in Poland.

Below is the video of Rutte's speech: