“Everyone understands that it’s simply not working, but all keep silent” – Zaluzhny.

The former commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valery Zaluzhny, believes that NATO's Article 5, which stipulates that an attack on one member country is considered an attack on the entire alliance, simply "does not exist."

Speaking to students at the Ukrainian Catholic University in Kyiv on 26 March, the former military-turned-diplomat gave as an example the reaction of European NATO countries to Russian drone attacks.

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Zaluzhny acknowledged that some drones crossed into Romania, the western neighbor, as a result of the use of Ukrainian electronic warfare (EW). He also admitted there had been incidents with Ukrainian missiles falling in Poland and other countries.

"The Baltic states understand that there is no Article 5 of NATO and never has been. Poland understands this — missiles, both ours and Russian ones, periodically fall there. Romania understands everything but remains silent… There is no Article 5.

I was called from Romania sometimes and asked to keep silence over the crashing of Geran on their territory. They said: 'Why did you turn on your EW? Now the drones are reaching us.' I replied: 'Shoot them down — you have 40 F-16s'," Zaluzhny recalled.

He also noted that Poland does not have the capability to shoot down missiles, a point that the government in Kyiv has repeatedly raised during talks with NATO partners. The authorities in Warsaw have not confirmed or denied this claim.

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"What's amusing," Zaluzhny added, "is that European narratives suggest that 'Russia will not stop and will advance on the Baltics and Poland.' This almost sounds like an invitation — if 'Article 5 does not exist,' what is stopping Moscow from sending troops into Estonia and Lithuania?"

General Zaluzhny, now Ukraine’s ambassador in London, had led the Ukrainian forces to the liberation of northern and eastern territories from Russian troops in 2022. He was sacked in February 2024 amid frictions with Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski, who allegedly felt threatened by the general’s soaring popularity.

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