President Biden and other NATO leaders have been talking about Article 5 a lot lately. That, of course, is The Three Musketeers-like article which says that an attack on one NATO member is an attack on all. Moreover, that such an attack would trigger a one-for-all-and-all-for-one retaliation.
That’s why the public squabbling among NATO members over sending Polish fighter jets to Ukraine is such a stupefying and embarrassing farce:
The Pentagon on Tuesday rejected Poland’s proposal to transfer MiG-29 fighter jets to a U.S. air base in Germany amid the intensifying Russian war in Ukraine.
‘The prospect of fighter jets ‘at the disposal of the Government of the United States of America’ departing from a U.S./NATO base in Germany to fly into airspace that is contested with Russia over Ukraine raises serious concerns for the entire NATO alliance,’ Kirby said.
Poland’s plan came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded with the U.S. to transfer the MiG-29 jets to the country on Saturday.
(The Hill, March 8, 2022)
Except that all NATO members have made clear their wish to transfer the jets to Ukraine. It’s just that none of them want to be seen doing so.
The problem is that their manifest reluctance makes a mockery of Article 5. After all, if it means anything, Poland should have no greater concern about Russia attacking it for doing so than Germany or the United States.
Yet each NATO member involved is acting so afraid of a Russian attack, you’d think Article 5 stands for every man for himself. I mean, this is like a big elephant being afraid of a little mouse.
This is why, for the sake of the alliance, the United States must cover for cowering Poland and Germany. It must assume public responsibility for transferring the MIG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine without further ado. And dare Russia, now struggling to defeat Ukraine, to retaliate by attacking the United States (or any other NATO country) …
Mind you, Ukraine has been shooting down Russian jets with surprising ease. Therefore, you’d be forgiven for wondering why Ukraine is so eager to give Russia the opportunity to return this demoralizing favor.
Meanwhile, I cannot overstate how sad it is to see brainwashed Russians championing their swastika “Z”. After all, it marks their isolation like North Koreans because Russian Pootzies are committing war crimes like German Nazis.
God bless them.
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War in Ukraine…