NATO could respond to a potential provocation with attacks on Kaliningrad, St Petersburg, the Kola Peninsula, and the Black Sea, according to British publication The Telegraph, citing German Luftwaffe head Holger Neumann.
A Polish ambassador to a NATO country and a source in Poland’s defense ministry confirmed that a provocation in either Poland or a Baltic state is being considered a risk, the report said.
Naval exercise could deter Russian provocation, as Trump puts future of NATO in doubt
Moreover, Russia would demand Poland’s Western allies stop providing aid to Ukraine in return for a withdrawal, which Moscow would consider a victory, the report said.
The recent NATO naval exercise involving US forces in Latvia may have been intended to deter any Russian provocation.
NATO leaders set to meet next week, Russia will be on the agenda
NATO leaders will meet in Ankara on July 7 and 8, to discuss various issues including the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. In a text agreed upon by ambassadors on Friday, the countries reaffirm their commitment to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.
“An attack on one is an attack on all,” reads the declaration.
Article 5 of NATO states that all members will come to the defense of a member that has been attacked.
The declaration also says Russia poses “a long-term threat” to “Euro-Atlantic security and stability.”
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly signaled his frustration with NATO, and in April, said he was considering withdrawing the United States from the alliance.
