NATO is ready to invoke Article 5 of the Northern Treaty in the event of an attack. This is what NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said during a press conference in Latvia.
For the head of NATO, the implementation of Article 5 is a legal obligation for all allies to assist and contribute in the event of an armed attack.
" Article five of the North Atlantic Treaty, NATO's collective defense clause, is a legal obligation for allies to assist in the event of an armed attack. There is no requirement for any unanimous decision. It is also important to remember that we have plans in place and forces available, and let there be no doubt that NATO is prepared and ready to protect all allies ," said Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General.
Stoltenberg's latest reaction comes at a time when Russian and Belarusian troops have begun the second phase of tactical nuclear exercises in Russia. The news has been confirmed by the Russian Ministry of Defense. The exercises aim to ensure that the military personnel and equipment of both countries are ready to defend their sovereignty and territorial integrity.
" During the exercise, issues related to the joint training of units of the armed forces of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus for the combat use of non-strategic nuclear weapons will be addressed ," the Ministry of Defense said. Russian nuclear pressure comes at a time when Ukraine's internal situation is unstable. The top Ukrainian official overseeing wartime defense reconstruction and fortifications has resigned, claiming his agency was being systematically undermined by the Ukrainian government.
Thus, the Russian army has taken control of another village in Ukraine's Donetsk region, the Russian defense ministry said. But Ukrainian army officials rejected the claim. They said that Russian forces had tried to advance near the village of Vodiane, "but these efforts were unsuccessful. Defense forces control the situation, the Ukrainian military quoted.