Russia is testing limits of NATO’s Article 5 in order to provoke response from Alliance, - Lithuanian Prime Minister Sinkevičius
Through its hybrid attacks, Russia is increasingly pushing the boundaries beyond which NATO would be compelled to invoke Article 5 on collective defence.
Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius spoke about this in an interview with LRT, according to Censor.NET.
Russia’s attempts have been unsuccessful
"In political debates, the view is increasingly being voiced that Russia is testing us by edging closer to the threshold defined by NATO’s Article 5. And this is not just about Lithuania, Latvia or other countries on the eastern flank. Russia is testing how far it can go without crossing the line that might prompt NATO to take action under collective defence," said the Lithuanian Prime Minister.
According to him, this is a "serious challenge for the Alliance", as it must determine how to respond to Russia’s actions.
"How should we respond to such actions and how can we combat them? These are not classic conventional attacks or direct border violations. Such actions are often carried out by hired individuals, and investigations suggest that those behind them are to be found in the east", said Sinkevičius, referring to Russia.
Cooperation with Poland
Sinkevičius added that he would work closely with his Polish counterpart, Donald Tusk, to ensure a swifter response and better coordination in the event of future incidents.
"We exchanged personal contact details so that, in the event of an incident or if we receive important information – particularly from the intelligence services – we can contact one another promptly, without having to wait for the information to be passed through our teams… We also agreed that, in the long term, the armed forces of Lithuania and Poland should cooperate more closely, particularly in the border region", he said.
What led up to it?
- On 18 October 2026, an unidentified drone flew over Lithuania. The Prime Minister stated that the authorities should investigate whether the flight was a deliberate act of sabotage.
- On the very same day, Ukraine acknowledged that it was its drone and apologised for the incident.
