Biden reaffirms NATO commitment to Article 5 at Bucharest 9 meeting

President Joe Biden met with leaders of the Bucharest 9 (B9), a group of NATO nations on the eastern front, to discuss the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and reaffirm the alliance’s commitment to Article 5 of NATO’s Washington Treaty. This article obliges all member countries to come to the aid of another member whose sovereignty or territorial integrity is under threat.

During the meeting, Biden emphasized that NATO Article 5 is a sacred commitment that the United States has made, and every inch of NATO will be defended against any attack. However, Ukraine is not currently a NATO member, even though it has contributed to NATO operations and missions in the past.

The war in Ukraine has raised concerns about the threat to European security, and the potential for the conflict to spill over into NATO territory. Ukraine has applied to become a member of NATO, which would serve as a deterrent against future Russian aggression. However, the NATO charter stipulates that no nation can be considered or accepted as a member while it is engaged in conflict.

President Putin has claimed that his “special military operation” into Ukraine was launched over the threat that Kyiv and NATO posed in expanding the alliance, which Western officials have rejected.

The meeting of NATO leaders comes as the war nears the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. At the Munich Security Conference over the weekend, Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed concerns that Moscow is now turning to China for lethal aid. Security officials fear that China’s participation in the war would not only change the dynamic on the battlefield in Ukraine but also force European nations to cut economic ties and further strain relations between China and the West.

NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg has said that Ukraine has the right to seek membership and has refused Russian attempts to blackball Kyiv from joining the alliance. However, he warned that the Russian pattern of aggression over many years must be stopped, and history must not repeat itself. “We cannot allow Russia to continue to chip away at European security,” he added.

The geopolitical divide between democracies and autocracies poses its challenges, particularly as it relates to security concerns over Taiwan. NATO’s commitment to Article 5 serves as a reminder of the alliance’s dedication to protecting its members’ sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of threats from hostile nations.