If Russia launches an attack or invasion against Estonia, the United States will enter the conflict, said US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III during a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, Belgium.
Austin was asked by a reporter how the country could be confident they'd have the backing of U.S. military might in the event of a Russian invasion.
"You know, I'll just point to what our president, President Biden, has said a number of times and what I've also said. Our commitment to Article 5 is ironclad. And we take that very seriously and will live up to our commitments," Austin told the press.
Article 5 of NATO’s Washington Treaty is known as "the principle of collective defence." It obliges all member countries to come to the aid of another member whose sovereignty or territorial integrity might be under threat.
NATO defines it as being "at the very heart of NATO’s founding treaty."
The defense secretary explained that the US military has maintained a comprehensive presence within the Baltics since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
"We also set up, you know, back at Madrid, our president made the decision to rotate forces in and out of the Baltics on a consistent basis in a heel-to-toe fashion so that we had the, you know, consistent presence. We've lived up to that. We'll continue to live up to it," Austin said.
"And the final thing I would just point out to you is that prior to Russia's invasion, you know, I met with your minister of defense and I told him that if Russia invaded Ukraine, we would deploy forces to Estonia the next day. And we did. We were the first to be here and we meant every word we said. And we'll live up to our commitments going forward. So we are committed to to Article 5. And you can bet on it."
