What really happened? The investigation is ongoing, but it appears “likely” that the missile that hit Poland was launched by Russia, US President Joe Biden admitted last night. In addition, Polish President Andrzej Duda, confirmed this wednesday that there is a high probability that the missile that fell on Polish soil was fired by Ukrainian air defense systems. In a public speech, he said it was “most likely” an “unfortunate accident” and that it was fired by Ukraine in self-defense against Russian attacks.
Duda noted that the investigation is ongoing and that it is most likely an S-300 missile manufactured in the USSR. However, he said there is no evidence “the missile was fired by the Russian side”.
The Prime Minister of Poland, Mateusz Morawiecki, for his part, said: “There are no indications that this was an attack on Polish territory. Most likely, we will face some sad events, as a result of which Polish citizens died.”
“There are no indications that this is a deliberate attack, nor that Russia is preparing actions against NATO,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said after an emergency meeting with ambassadors from the 30 members. From defending Ukraine to Russian attacks. It’s not Ukraine’s fault, Russia is guilty of its illegal war against Ukraine.”
“NATO remains united and will continue to do what is necessary to protect its allies,” the Norwegian said. “The war in Ukraine continues to create dangerous situations. This comes as Russia begins a wave of missile attacks. This is a very dangerous situation, it is the result of Russia’s war against Ukraine.”
Stoltenberg also acknowledged contacts with Russia “within the last 24 hours” regarding the incident, although he declined to give details. “Because we don’t have data on a targeted attack, it affects our responses.”
“One thing is for sure,” said Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, “this would not have happened without Russia’s horrific missile attacks on Ukraine. We continue to support Ukraine to protect itself from Russian aggression.”
The tension was at its maximum for several hours. G20 leaders were in Bali and there were reports that Russian missiles were causing casualties in Poland, a NATO country. They quickly came up with Article 5 of the Atlantic Alliance treaty, which obligates all members to defend an ally under attack, which could trigger a NATO response to Russia’s alleged aggression against Poland. The Prime Minister of Lithuania, Gitanas Nuaseda himself, published the verdict on Twitter: “Every inch of NATO must be protected.”
As the hours passed, the messages became more circumspect. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg himself spoke about the “explosion” without lifting a finger. “It is important to clarify all the facts.
On Wednesday, Stoltenberg is meeting with the ambassadors of 30 NATO countries to analyze the situation. But last night NATO already issued a statement agreed with the G7, Spain and the Netherlands, in a meeting attended by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel.
NATO ambassadors will hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss the missile that landed in Poland. Warsaw said two civilians were killed by a Russian-made missile but did not blame Russia for its launch, while Moscow said its military did not fire it and Biden said the missile was likely not fired.
The US agency AP, on the other hand, reports that the Ukrainian army may have fired the missile that hit the neighbor.
In a communiqué signed by the leaders of Canada, the European Commission, the Council of Europe, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States, they condemned the “barbaric missile attacks carried out by Russia. Tuesday against Ukrainian cities and civil infrastructure.
“We have addressed the explosion that took place in the eastern part of Poland, near the Ukrainian border,” the statement said. “We offer full support and assistance to the Polish investigation. We agree to stay in close contact to determine next steps as the investigation progresses.”
The text continues: “We reaffirm our strong support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in the face of Russian aggression, as well as our willingness to hold Russia accountable for its attacks on Ukrainian communities, even as the G20 meets to discuss the broader implications.” the war We all offer our condolences to the families of those killed in Poland and Ukraine.”
“It’s a terrible incident and now we need to carefully investigate how it could have happened,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said.
“The G7 and NATO members are united in our message that we must first establish the facts and therefore support the Polish investigation,” Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said. Ukraine. We continue to support Ukraine to protect itself from Russian aggression.”
Source: El Diario