Article 5 of NATO treaty does not mean automatic military response in case of Russia’s attack, - former head of NATO Military Committee Bauer
If Russia attacks one of the Baltic states, NATO's response will depend on the type of attack. If the attack is limited in scope and does not pose a direct threat to the territorial integrity of a member state, consultations will first take place among all members of the bloc. During these discussions, they will decide whether to start a war with Russia.
According to Censor.NET, this was stated in an interview with Die Welt by the former chairman of NATO's military committee, Rob Bauer.
He said that now Europe will not be able to repel missile attacks on its entire territory if Russia decides to attack the way Iran is currently attacking Israel.
"We do not have a number of resources that we need to increase and capabilities that we need to improve. These capability targets will be the focus of the NATO summit in The Hague, a shopping list for all member states, so to speak, so that we can implement our current concepts," Bauer said.
But he warned that if Russia does attack NATO in Europe, it will be retaliated against on many levels: on the ground, in the air, at sea, in space and in cyberspace.
However, he added that NATO's response would depend on the "type of attack".
"If it's a relatively small attack and Estonia's overall territorial integrity is not at risk, there is time for consultations. We have to weigh up whether we want to start a war or not. The so-called hybrid war is no less harmful than war," said the former head of NATO's military committee.
As a reminder, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has called Russia "the most significant and immediate threat" facing the Alliance.
