Russia has threatened to respond to restrictions on the transit of goods through Lithuania to the Kaliningrad region.
The new Russian threat directed against the “residents of Lithuania” has become an occasion for a sharp reminder of America’s promise to come to the aid of any NATO allies who may be attacked.
“Lithuania is a member of NATO,” Department of State spokesman Ned Price stressed. “We are committed to the commitments we have to NATO. This, of course, includes commitment to Article 5, which is the foundation of the NATO alliance.”
Price prefaced this warning with a remark about “Russian saber rattling or bragging.”
The Kaliningrad Region was at the center of the new dispute. Last week Lithuania announced that some supplies to the region would be restricted in accordance with sanctions imposed by the European Union.
“Russia will certainly respond to such hostile actions,” said Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Russian Security Council.
