NATO secretary general warns Russia away from attacking supply lines supporting Ukraine
According to Ukrinform, he said this in an interview with CBC News.
"The allies are helping Ukraine uphold their right for self-defense, which is enshrined in the UN charter. Russia is the aggressor and Ukraine is defending itself. If there is any attack against any NATO country, NATO territory, that will trigger Article 5," Stoltenberg said after a meeting with Trudeau, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Latvian Prime Minister Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš at the Adazi base.
Article 5 is the self-defense clause in NATO's founding treaty which states that an attack on one member is an attack on all 30 member nations.
"I'm absolutely convinced President Putin knows this and we are removing any room for miscalculation, misunderstanding about our commitment to defend every inch of NATO territory," Stoltenberg said.
According to him, there's a clear distinction between supply lines within Ukraine and those operating outside its borders.
"There is a war going on in Ukraine and, of course, supply lines inside Ukraine can be attacked. […] An attack on NATO territory, on NATO forces, NATO capabilities, that would be an attack on NATO," Stoltenberg said.
Stoltenberg said NATO's message to Russia is that "they have to end the war, that we will continue to support Ukraine and that we continue to impose unprecedented sanctions."
