On Tuesday, an explosion occurred in Przewodów, a Polish village 15 miles from the border with Ukraine. Polish media initially reported that the explosion was caused by two missiles that fell on the town, though that number was later revised to one — a Soviet-era S-300 air-defense missile. Two people were killed in the explosion, which occurred near a grain silo.
Immediately following the incident, members and allies of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), along with the media, assumed it had been a Russian attack. The U.S. government declared it would “defend every inch of NATO territory,” and Poland called a meeting under Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty.
In a video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asserted that it indeed had been a Russian attack. He stated, “Hitting NATO territory with missiles.… This is a Russian missile attack on collective security! This is a really significant escalation. Action is needed.”
However, contrary to Zelensky’s statement, it was soon found that the missile likely was fired by Ukrainian forces. On Wednesday, Polish President Andrzej Duda stated the missile strike was most likely an accident. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also admitted the missile was Ukrainian, though he also stated that “Russia bears ultimate responsibility.”
Ukraine still denies having launched the missile. Following the revelation, Zelensky stated that “I have no doubt that it was not our missile” and expressed his trust in the Ukrainian military, which had claimed likewise.
In question, however, is the source of the missile. Since at least the beginning of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, the U.S. government had been engaged in a clandestine operation in which it sent Soviet-era military equipment — including S-300s — to Ukraine.
Growing U.S. Involvement in Ukraine
This incident shows how close the United States is to entering into a hot war in Europe — thanks to the United States’ entangling and unconstitutional alliance in NATO.
Additionally, American leadership favors foreign intervention and fealty to NATO and other international organizations. In March, U.S. President Joe Biden stated, “We take Article 5 as a sacred commitment, not a throwaway, a sacred commitment that relates to every member of NATO.” And later at his gaffe-filled speech, he stated, “We have a sacred obligation under Article 5 to defend each and every inch of NATO territory.” Biden also made several concerning statements, calling for regime change in Russia and suggesting that the United States would send, or had already sent, troops into Ukraine. In other words, Biden pledged U.S. fealty to NATO at the expense of the U.S. Constitution and national sovereignty.
Biden’s actions match his words. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the United States has sent more than 20,000 troops to Europe (the total number of troops now surpasses 100,000). Until February, troops from Florida’s National Guard had been inside Ukraine. These troop deployments to Eastern Europe greatly increase the potential for creating a pretext to drag the United States into yet another undeclared and unconstitutional war.
Furthermore, Congress has appropriated $65 billion for Ukraine since the invasion, and it could approve even more funding. Biden also expanded U.S. policy justifications for initiating a nuclear attack.
Solution: Get Out of NATO
Rather than further expanding NATO or entangling the United States into the Ukraine-Russia war, Congress must act to get the U.S. out of NATO.
In addition to its propensity to entangle the United States in foreign conflict — ignoring the wisdom of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson — NATO is a subsidiary of, and fully subservient to, the United Nations.
The United States currently contributes about 16 percent of the NATO budget — the largest share of any NATO country — meaning that U.S. taxpayers foot a large chunk of the bill for Europe’s defense. Meanwhile, the U.S. southern border is wide open, with 5.5 million illegal aliens having knowingly crossed the border since January 2021.
Congress would be wise to heed the Founding Fathers’ advise, withdraw from the permanent, entangling alliance of NATO, and prioritize the national interests and sovereignty of the United States.
To urge your U.S. representative and senators to Get US Out! of NATO, visit The John Birch Society’s legislative alert here.
