Polish and Lithuanian leaders meet troops at NATO bottleneck

By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA and MICHAL DYJUK
Associated Press

SZYPLISZKI, Poland (AP) — The presidents of NATO members Poland and Lithuania have voiced confidence that allied troops can fully safeguard a strategically vital corridor that links their countries, Concern over NATO’s ability to defend the so called Suwalki Gap, a 70-kilometer (43-mile) wedge joining Poland and Lithuania, has rocketed since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. The corridor also separates Russian ally Belarus from the Kaliningrad exclave, where Russia’s Baltic Fleet and nuclear-capable missiles are based. “This is a very sensitive area, and the eyes of an aggressor could potentially be directed here,” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said while speaking on the Polish side of the border.