With 48 hours to go until the first anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine, Joe Biden stated his goal to protect every North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) country. The response that comes a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he is suspending his participation in the latest nuclear nonproliferation treaty signed with the United States (New START).
During the meeting in Warsaw, Poland with the so-called Bucharest Nine (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia), the president clarified his purpose to the leaders of these countries:
As NATO’s eastern flank, you’re our front lines of our collective defense, and you know better than anyone what’s at stake in this conflict. The commitment of the United States to NATO – I’ve said it to you many times, and I’ll say it again, – is absolutely clear. Article 5 is a sacred commitment the United States has made. We will defend literally every inch of NATO. Every inch of NATO.
Article 5 of the NATO Treaty states that an attack against a NATO member "shall be considered as an attack directed against the other countries" that make up the alliance. Likewise, the response to aggression will be joint.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg accused Putin of "preparing for a world war" and reaffirmed the organization's commitment to Ukraine.
