EU commissioner: Russian strike on EU arms factory is grounds for NATO military response

EU Defence and Space Commissioner Andrius Kubilius has stated that a Russian strike on a European arms factory should trigger Article 5 of the NATO collective defence treaty.

"If Russia will hit our factories in European territories, that would be Article 5," Kubilius said, as quoted by Politico.

Kubilius made the remarks on the margins of a meeting of the European Parliament's Defence and Security Committee.

The remarks come in the wake of a growing number of suspicious incidents at arms factories across Europe, some of which have been attributed to Russia.

An aide to Kubilius, granted anonymity to speak freely, confirmed that the commissioner's comments related specifically to an aerial bombardment or missile attack on a factory.

Politico noted that Kubilius' statement is likely to stir unease within NATO given the sensitivity of discussions around Article 5 and the EU's non-military role compared to the alliance.

"When Kubilius will become secretary general of NATO he might be able to claim what triggers or doesn't trigger Article 5," a NATO diplomat said.

The Estonian Internal Security Service established that an arson attack on the building of the defence company Milrem Robotics in Tallinn on the night of 14-15 August was an act of sabotage ordered by Russian intelligence services.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha strongly condemned Russia's sabotage against Milrem Robotics in Tallinn and expressed full solidarity with Estonia.