Article 4 of the NATO treaty covers the case when a member state feels threatened by another country or a terrorist organization. The 30 member states would then start formal consultations at the request of the threatened member. The talks, would look at whether a threat exists and how to counter it, with decisions arrived at unanimously. Article 4 does not, however, mean there would be direct pressure to act.
This consultation mechanism has been triggered several times in NATO’s history. For instance, by Turkey one year ago, when Turkish soldiers were killed in an attack from Syria. At that time, NATO decided to consult, but did not take any action.
Poor Ukraine
