NATO does not see any deliberate attack on the remains of the Russian drone that landed on Romanian territory as well as NATO territory. The Western military alliance has no indication of this, said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

The wreckage of a Russian drone was found on the banks of the Danube river, Romania, which borders Ukraine. He is said to have targeted the Ukrainian city on the other side. NATO country Romania then notified thirty other member countries.

NATO is still waiting for the results of its investigation into the incident. But “we have no information indicating that any attack was planned by Russia,” Stoltenberg said during a visit to the European Parliament.

If a NATO member state is attacked, it can invoke the treaty’s landmark Article 5. This statement states that an attack on one member state is considered an attack on all allies.

“Ukraine has succeeded in breaking through the defense lines of the Russian armed forces,” Stoltenberg said. “They are gradually gaining strength” with their counteroffensive, he assured. Even if it involves a “hard and difficult battle.”

The Norwegian Secretary General had little interest in complaining about the difficulty and slow progress of the counteroffensive. Ukraine “may not be able to reclaim as much territory as we had hoped,” but this is understandable. He believes there are more mines on the battlefield in Ukraine than anywhere else before. “So it’s clear that this is going to be very difficult.”

Moreover, Ukraine itself is determining the best strategy to liberate its country. The Allies can advise them, but Kyiv and commanders on the ground must make the decisions. And “the reality is that they exceeded our expectations many times over.” (AP)