NATO Article 4 Activation by Four Countries

Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania announced on Thursday the activation of Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) agreement. The Estonian government stated in a release that Prime Minister Kaja Kallas considers the Russian invasion of Ukraine "a threat to all of Europe." Under Article 4 of the agreement, parties consult together at the request of any member state regarding the integrity of the territory or political independence or security of any allied countries. It should be noted that Ukraine is not a NATO member; however, Russia has demanded that the alliance commit to never admitting Ukraine, a request that NATO members have rejected, citing the alliance's "open door" policy.