Biden: U.S. takes literally duty to defend every inch of NATO territory

The United States, along with all NATO countries, takes the duty of collective defense very seriously and is literally prepared to defend every inch of NATO territory.

President of the United States Joe Biden said this on Tuesday in Vilnius during a joint speech with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"We take, NATO takes, all of us take Article 5 (of the North Atlantic Treaty - ed.) literally," the U.S. President emphasized.

He clarified that the invasion of "one inch of NATO territory" means that all member states will be at war against those who violate this space.

"We're going to defend every inch of it," Biden emphasized.

He noted that over the next few days in Vilnius, Allies will focus on how to strengthen NATO's eastern flank and modernize deterrence and defense capabilities. "We're also going to discuss our support for the people of Ukraine. And I want to thank you for your partnership and leadership as we take on this challenge together," the U.S. President said.

As a reminder, Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty confirms that an armed attack on one or more of the NATO member states in Europe or North America "shall be considered an attack against all of them."

As reported, immediately after Jens Stoltenberg announced Turkey's readiness to unblock Sweden's accession to NATO, the U.S. President issued a statement welcoming Erdogan's decision and expressing hope for Sweden's speedy accession to the Alliance.

Photo: twitter / GitanasNauseda