Poland requests Tuesday NATO meeting on Russia, Ukraine

NATO’s 28 members will meet Tuesday on Russia’s incursion into Ukraine following a request by Poland.

{mosads}The meeting was requested by Poland under article 4 of the organization’s founding Washington Treaty. Article 4 of the Treaty states that any member can request consultations when their “territorial integrity, political independence or security is threatened.”

“The developments in and arouund Ukraine are seen to constitute a threat to neighboring Allied countries and having direct and serious implications for the security and stability of the Euro-Atlantic area,” NATO said in a statement released Monday.

The meeting comes after the defense alliance called Russia’s staging of troops in Crimea “a breach of international law.”

“It contravenes the principles of the NATO-Russia Council and the Partnership for Peace,” the statement said.

NATO urged Russia and Ukraine to seek a peaceful resolution through dialogue, and through the dispatch of international observers under the auspices of the United Nations Security Council or the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.