Pentagon says 'armed attack on one, attack on all' if Russian forces strike in Poland
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby
The Pentagon reiterated its commitment to NATO, despite Russia's continued destabilisation of eastern Europe.
While US forces will not be fighting in Ukraine, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby stated that the US will remain committed to its NATO allies.
On ABC News on Sunday, Kirby said, "An armed attack against one is considered an armed attack against all."
"We've made it very clear to Russia that NATO territory will be guarded by our friends, not only the US."
The remarks come after Russian soldiers stormed a military post in western Ukraine near the Polish border on Sunday, killing at least 35 people and destroying the International Peacekeeping and Security Center (IPSC) in Yavoriv.
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Yavoriv is around 15 miles from the border with Poland, which has been a NATO member since 1999.
Last Tuesday, the United States delivered two Patriot missile defence batteries to Poland.
On the same day, the US Department of Defense turned down a Polish offer to send fighter jets to a US airbase in Germany, where they could be transported to Ukraine to battle Russian soldiers.
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On Tuesday, Kirby tweeted that it was up to Polish officials to decide whether or not to send their own planes to Ukraine.
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In late February, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki issued a similar warning, saying: "Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Poland, as well as Poland, could be next in line tomorrow...Putin's war on Ukraine is also a battle for the soul of West."
(With inputs from agencies)