Russia and Belarus' ongoing activities at the Romanian and Polish borders carry a high risk of sparking a crisis with the two NATO members, though if this happens, Bucharest and Warsaw will likely seek de-escalation. In recent days, Poland and Romania have warned their NATO and EU partners about potential Russian and Belarussian aggression in the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine. On Aug. 1, the Polish government accused Belarus of violating Polish airspace with military helicopters and announced it would increase its military presence on its eastern borders. Then on Aug. 2, the Romanian government said that Russia's increased attacks on Ukrainian ports by the Danube River (which separates Ukraine from Romania) were ''unacceptable'' and described them as ''war crimes.'' Poland (which shares land borders with both Russia and Ukraine) and Romania (which shares a land border with Ukraine and Black Sea access with Ukraine and Russia) are...
