Poland is pressuring NATO to activate Article 4 to respond to the Russian drone attack
Poland calls on NATO to take action after 19 Russian drones violated its airspace, prompting Prime Minister Donald Tusk to activate Article 4 of the treaty to begin formal consultations, in a political and security escalation.
- September 10, 2025:
Poland submitted a formal request for consultations under Article 4 of the NATO Treaty, after 19 Russian drones violated its airspace over the past night, Prime Minister Donald Tusk told lawmakers on Wednesday. The drones, part of a broader Russian strike campaign against Ukraine, entered Polish airspace from the east, with reports of many crossing directly from Belarus. According to Tusk, Polish aircraft and their allies shot down three or four drones. In a statement to the House of Representatives, Tusk said: "Consultations with allies have now turned into a formal request to activate Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty." Article 4 of the Treaty provides for consultations among NATO members when "the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the parties is exposed...
Tusk stressed that despite the tactical success in intercepting drones, the incident represents a political escalation. "This changes the political situation," he said. We will expect much greater support in defending Polish airspace." The incident came at a time when Russia launched a large-scale drone attack against Ukraine last night. Polish authorities reported that drones penetrated the airspace in several areas, including the provinces of Podlask, Mazovia, and Lobel. In one case, a drone struck a residential building in the village of Werki near Wodava, causing structural damage but no casualties. Local officials canceled classes and provided psychological support to residents. Colonel Eugene Miranda of the 25th Infantry Division said Polish aircraft and their allies were active throughout the night.
According to a tweet posted by the Polish Ministry of Defense on the X platform (formerly Twitter), he described the breach of airspace as "unprecedented" in scale and considered "a hostile act that posed a real threat to the security of our citizens." " Polish and allied aircraft concluded operations after 7 a.m., according to the Polish Operational Command, after launching defensive measures earlier in the night. Regarding the situation, President Karol Navroaki and Prime Minister Tusk issued a joint statement to emphasize unity. "We are determined to act as one fist," Tusk said, referring to the cross-party commitment to national defense.
Retired US General Ben Hodges, former commander of US forces in Europe, told Reuters that the event appeared to be a deliberate test of NATO's defenses. "The number of drones that crossed NATO airspace last night clearly shows that this is a thoughtful test of NATO and its air defence and early warning systems," he added He warned that NATO "must be prepared to respond effectively every time" and called on the alliance to do more. To date, NATO has not issued a public response, but the activation of Article 4 opens the door to the possibility of broader Allied participation. Although Article 4 does not automatically trigger a military response, it often precedes coordinated actions or deployments. Previous activations of Article 4 included consultations during the Syrian conflict and escalating tensions in the Baltic region.
The Polish government described the drone penetration as a "real threat" and affirmed its commitment to defending national sovereignty and fulfilling its obligations to NATO. According to Polish officials, lessons learned from the incident will be used to improve defense coordination and monitor the atmosphere along the alliance's eastern flank. In Warsaw, preparations for subsequent negotiations with NATO partners have already begun. "This is just the beginning," Tusk said, adding that the Article 4 request is the first step to ensuring Poland has better support against evolving threats.
Article 4 of the NATO Treaty Article 4 of the NATO Treaty is considered one of the important political tools that allows any member state of the alliance to request urgent consultations with other members when it feels that its security, territorial integrity, or political independence is threatened. Unlike Article 5, which stipulates the principle of collective defense and joint military response, Article 4 does not oblige the alliance to take direct military action, but it opens the door to a series of diplomatic, political and military measures that could include exchanging intelligence information, increasing defense coordination, and deploying additional air defense forces or systems near the borders of the threatened country. This substance has been used on more than one occasion, most notably by Turkey when it was exposed to threats from the Syrian war, as well as by the Baltic states and Poland as tensions with Russia escalated. Its activation is often as much a political message as it is a security measure, because it reflects unity of ranks within the alliance and shows a willingness to deal with any threat before it reaches a stage that requires the activation of Article 5.