NATO's Šekerinska: Alliance won't debate the threshold for triggering Article 5

NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Šekerinska, in an interview with Delfi held during the "Riga Conference 2026" security forum, said the alliance will not engage in publicly debating what specific threshold — such as a drone or missile strike, so-called "little green men" operations, or a large-scale ground invasion — would be needed to trigger Article 5 of the NATO treaty.

The question arose amid growing Russian hybrid activity and sabotage, along with concerns that Vladimir Putin, with the front line in Ukraine at a stalemate, might seek to escalate and test Western unity.

Military buildup since the Hague summit

Šekerinska said Russia's aggression in Ukraine achieved the opposite of what Putin intended — rather than undermining Western unity, it pushed allies to strengthen their defenses. At the Hague summit, 32 alliance members agreed to allocate 5% of GDP to security-related spending.

Since the Hague summit, European allies and Canada have spent an additional $250 billion, enabling a stronger and more resilient defense posture on the eastern flank, including three new vigilance activities — Baltic Sentry, Eastern Sentry, and Arctic Sentry.

Lessons from the war in Ukraine

The official noted that NATO is actively drawing lessons from Ukraine's battlefield experience, with a dedicated center established in Poland for this purpose. Priorities in capability development include stronger air defense, larger ammunition stockpiles, and long-range strike capabilities.

Šekerinska also confirmed the alliance will continue supporting Ukraine, saying it is both the right thing to do and strategically sound, since Ukraine's security directly affects NATO countries' security as well.