RomanianForeign Minister Oana Țoiu has said that the crash of aRussian drone into a residential building in Galațicould justify invoking Article 4 of theNATOtreaty. Early on Friday morning (May 29), a drone, believed to be Russian, was launched asVladimir Putin's forcesonce again pummelled Ukraine near the NATO border.

Onedronecrashed into an apartment building in the eastern Romanian city. The drone caused a fire on the 10th floor of the residential building, with two people sustaining injuries, and around 70 people were evacuated as the fire was extinguished. Romania's General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations said the drone's entire explosive payload detonated. TwoF-16 fighter jetswere also scrambled after the drones were detected in Romanian airspace.

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Following the incident, NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said on X: "Early this morning, an apartment building in Romania was struck by a drone asRussiaattacked Ukrainian infrastructure near the border. @SecGenNATO is in touch with Romanian authorities. We condemnRussia’s recklessness, andNATOwill continue to strengthen our defences against all threats, including drones."

In a worrying update, when asked whether Article 4 of the NATO treaty should be activated, Ms Țoiu said the incident fell into the category of incidents that justified the use of such instruments. NATO Article 4 is the alliance's mechanism for consultation.

Under this article, any member state may request a formal meeting of the North Atlantic Council whenever it feels its territorial integrity, political independence, or security is threatened. It serves as a tool for preventive diplomacy and joint decision-making. UnlikeArticle 5, which mandates collective military defence if a member is attacked, Article 4 does not guarantee military action.

She added that invoking Article 4 is a collective decision and forms part of ongoing discussions about the options available to Romania. The minister added that Article 4 is an instrument Romania can use.

This comes after the foreign ministry described the attack as a serious escalation by Moscow.

When asked whether a meeting of Romania's Supreme Council of National Defence (CSAT) would be convened over the drone incident and whether she had discussed such a meeting with President Nicușor Dan, Ms Țoiu said discussions were ongoing.

Source: Daily Express :: World Feed