WW3 fears erupt as Romania warns Russian drone attack ‘could justify NATO Article 4’ | World | News
A Russian drone crossed into Romanian airspace and crashed into a block of flats, injuring 2 people (Image: @X)
Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Țoiu has said that the crash of a Russian drone into a residential building in Galați could justify invoking Article 4 of the NATO treaty. Early on Friday morning (May 29), a drone, believed to be Russian, was launched as Vladimir Putin’s forces once again pummelled Ukraine near the NATO border.
One drone crashed 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. Two F-16 fighter jets were also scrambled after the drones were detected in Romanian airspace.
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Ms Țoiu said the incident fell into the category of incidents that justified the use of NATO Article 4 (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Following the incident, NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said on X: “Early this morning, an apartment building in Romania was struck by a drone as Russia attacked Ukrainian infrastructure near the border. @SecGenNATO is in touch with Romanian authorities. We condemn Russia’s recklessness, and NATO will 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. Unlike Article 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.
Romania’s Foreign Ministry described the attack as a serious escalation by Moscow (Image: @X)
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.
She noted that the president would make the necessary announcements later on Friday. She added that both she and the defence minister were in constant contact with the president, prime minister Ilie Bolojan, Romania’s allies, and the NATO secretary general, Mark Rutte, had been fully briefed on the incident.
Ms Țoiu also said that Russia’s ambassador to Romania had been summoned to the Foreign Ministry on Thursday in response to statements made by the Russian Federation regarding missions present on Ukrainian territory.
When asked whether the Russian ambassador would be summoned again following the drone incident, she said the matter would be revisited later in the day and that Romania would respond through diplomatic channels.
Romania’s Ministry of Defence said that since the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, drone debris has been found on Romanian territory on 47 occasions.
