NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, stated that the alliance's response to a potential Russian operation in the Suwalki corridor will be devastating.

Mark Rutte stated that any attempt by Russia to block the Suwalki corridor, a vulnerable area for the alliance, will face a crushing response. The Suwalki corridor, a strip of land between Belarus and the Kaliningrad region, is crucial for the connection between Poland and Lithuania.

A simulation of a military conflict, conducted in December 2025, highlighted the risks of a Russian invasion under the pretext of a humanitarian crisis. In this context, the President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda, proposed the militarization of the corridor, asking Poland to expand a joint military training ground. The project, which is to be completed by 2030, aims to strengthen cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries and to defend the Suwalki corridor.