E-Paper
Poland blast caused by Ukraine forces firing at incoming Russian missile: Report
Russia has denied that its missiles hit the Polish territory, saying “statements by Polish media and officials…are a deliberate provocation aimed at escalating the situation.”
Preliminary information suggests it was unlikely that the explosion in a village in eastern Poland near the border with Ukraine was caused by a missile fired from Russia, US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday. Biden was speaking after an emergency meeting by global leaders gathered for the G20 meeting in Bali. (Also Read | Poland blast: What NATO's Articles 4 & 5 say as Russia blamed for missile strike)
When asked about the possibility of a Russian missile strike in Poland, Biden said, "There is preliminary information that contests that. I don't want to say that until we completely investigate it but it is unlikely in the lines of the trajectory that it was fired from Russia but we’ll see.”
Asked whether it was too early to say that the missile was fired from Russia, Biden said: "There is preliminary information that contests that. I don't want to say that until we completely investigate it but it is unlikely in the lines of the trajectory that it was fired from Russia but we’ll see.”
He stressed that the US and NATO countries would fully investigate before acting.
"We agreed to support Poland's investigation into the explosion in rural Poland, near the Ukrainian border, and they're going to make sure we figure out exactly what happened," Biden said.
"AWithnd then we're going to collectively determine our next step as we investigate and proceed. There was total unanimity among folks at the table."
Here are the latest updates on Poland missile strike:
A spokesperson for Poland's ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement that a Russian-made missile hit the village of Przewodów in the Hrubieszów poviat in the Lubelskie Voivodship, killing two.
Polish President Andrzej Duda said in an address that Poland does not know who fired the missile but noted that it was "most likely produced in Russia."
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that evidence suggests the missile strike was a "single act" and there is no evidence of further missiles.
If it is determined that Russia was to blame for the explosion, it could trigger NATO's principle of collective defense known as Article 5, in which an attack on one of the Western alliance's members is deemed an attack on all, starting deliberations on a potential military response, reported Reuters.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a telephone conversation with Duda and expressed condolences over the death of Polish citizens. “We exchanged available information and are clarifying facts. Ukraine, Poland, all Europe & world must be fully protected from terrorist Russia,” Zelenskyy said.
Three US officials said preliminary assessments suggested the missile was fired by Ukrainian forces at an incoming Russian missile amid a crushing salvo against Ukraine’s electrical infrastructure Tuesday, reported Associated Press.
In a joint statement, NATO and G7 leaders condemned "barbaric missile attacks that Russia perpetrated on Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure". "We discussed explosion that took place in eastern part of Poland near border with Ukraine."
(With inputs from agencies)
