Russian President Putin may want to go further than just an invasion of Ukraine. At least that’s what US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken says. Satellite images show how Russia is also building up troops on the Belarusian border with Poland.
Russia has gathered troops, armed vehicles, artillery, and more than 50 heavy transport vehicles in an area in Brest, a Belarusian city about 10 kilometres from the Polish border, US media reported. Asked about Putin’s plans, Blinken replied that it is “certainly a possibility” that the Russian president “goes beyond just Ukraine”.
Although Blinken immediately emphasised that an invasion of Poland, Slovakia, Hungary or Romania is an invasion of a NATO member state. Given the organisation’s charter, this would automatically mean that the United States, the United Kingdom, France and the 27 other member states would also become involved in the conflict.
“There is a powerful obstacle to such an incursion, and we call it Article 5,” said Blinken. It states that an attack on one NATO member state is equivalent to an attack on all NATO member states. Moreover, president Biden has already made it clear that we will defend every inch of NATO territory. That is a potent deterrent.”
