Nato head assures Poland, Lithuania of alliance's protection
Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said that it is the duty of the North Atlantic Alliance to defend all allies, and that this applies to the entire territory of Poland, including the Suwałki Gap in north-eastern Poland, and Lithuania.
The Suwałki Gap separates the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea from Belarus, now host to thousands of Russian troops. It is the only way to get by road or rail from Poland and Central Europe to the Baltic States.
Stoltenberg made the statement during a press conference on Thursday, when asked about Russian media reports on how Russia has been 'exploring' the possibility of a corridor to Kaliningrad, and whether this posed a real threat to Poland.
The Nato secretary general repeated that as far as Kaliningrad or any land corridor were concerned, the alliance was obliged to defend all allies. He added that, in order to rule out any misunderstanding with Moscow, Nato had significantly increased its presence in its eastern areas.
Stoltenberg said that Nato's task was to prevent Russia from using either Kaliningrad or any other pretext to start aggressive operations against any Nato state.
