Why? Because Latvia and Estonia would sue the rest of NATO for not abiding by the treaty? Is there any other reason the West would not try to prevent a nuclear apocalypse by appeasing Putin with these "token" countries? Does the rest of the NATO countries really want to die for them? Do we really want to test that hypothesis?
Take a look at the Putin's speeches starting with the 2007 one in Munich, and including the ultimatum Russia presented to the West just before the current invasion. Look up the "Escalate to Deescalate" strategy and the Russian nuclear doctrine. Read the Kremlin-funded "historians" and "philosophers" and Putin's own writings on Russia and Ukraine.
Well if an invasion of a NATO country doesn't invoke Article 5, then NATO ceases to exist. Is that what you think would happen? You think Putin sees Latvia which is backed by the largest military in the world as the same risk as Ukraine which has no such backing?
Why? Because Latvia and Estonia would sue the rest of NATO for not abiding by the treaty? Is there any other reason the West would not try to prevent a nuclear apocalypse by appeasing Putin with these "token" countries? Does the rest of the NATO countries really want to die for them? Do we really want to test that hypothesis?
Take a look at the Putin's speeches starting with the 2007 one in Munich, and including the ultimatum Russia presented to the West just before the current invasion. Look up the "Escalate to Deescalate" strategy and the Russian nuclear doctrine. Read the Kremlin-funded "historians" and "philosophers" and Putin's own writings on Russia and Ukraine.