World leaders gathered in Bali for the G20 summit are attempting to defuse a potential escalation in the months-long Ukraine war after a "Russian-made" missile killed two people in NATO-member Poland.
On Tuesday afternoon, the missile landed outside the rural Polish village of Przewodow. The area is located about four miles (6.4 kilometres) west of the Ukrainian border. Russia had around the same time, launched its largest wave of missile attacks on Ukrainian cities within more than a month.
The circumstances surrounding the incident, which marked the first direct hit on a NATO country during the nearly nine-month conflict, remain unknown. It is unknown who launched the missile or where it was launched from, though the Polish Foreign Ministry described it as "Russian-made."
Speaking to reporters after an emergency meeting with G7 and NATO leaders on the lines of the G20 summit, US President Joe Biden said preliminary information suggested that the missile was launched from within Russia, but he couldn't say definitively until the investigation was completed.
"We agreed to help Poland with its investigation into the explosion... And I'm going to make sure we figure out exactly what happened," Biden said, adding that the leaders had expressed their condolences for the deaths of two people. “Then, as we investigate and proceed, we'll decide on our next step as a group. Then we’re going to collectively determine our next step as we investigate and proceed. There was total unanimity among the folks at the table.”
Following Biden's remarks, a NATO military official told CNN that the missile was being tracked by an alliance plane flying above Polish airspace at the time of the explosion. The NATO official added that the “Intel with the radar tracks [of the missile] was provided to NATO and Poland.” The NATO official did not specify who launched the missile or from where it was launched.
Through an online statement, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that the missile strikes on Tuesday from within Poland's borders, “would not have happened without Russia’s horrific missile attacks against Ukraine.” He wrote, “The G7 and present NATO members convened a meeting this morning in Bali during the G20 to discuss the incident in Poland last night. We are united in our message that we first need to establish the facts and therefore support Poland’s investigation.”
Polish President Andrzej Duda made a short statement in the comments that it is not clear who launched the missile but “most likely” it is supposed to be made in Russia. He wrote, “We are working calmly and in a very calm manner,” Duda said during an address from the Bureau of National Security in Warsaw. The Kremlin has denied involvement in the explosion, with Russia’s Defense Ministry calling the reports by Polish media, who first reported the deaths,” a deliberate provocation to escalate the situation.”
According to a brief statement issued late Tuesday, Russia's Defense Ministry called the reports by Polish media, which first reported the deaths, “a deliberate provocation to escalate the situation.” It went on to say that photos of wreckage published by Polish media from the scene in Przewodow "have nothing to do with Russian weapons.”
On Wednesday, Russia's UN mission stated that "the incident in Poland is an attempt to provoke a direct military clash between NATO and Russia," adding that this would be a key focus area at the UN Security Council meeting scheduled later that day. According to Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, the missile that landed in Przewodów was a "single act," and there is no evidence of further missile strikes.
While urging calm, Morawiecki stated that Poland would increase its military readiness and was considering using Article 4 of the NATO Treaty. Article 4 is a consultation method that allows members of the 30-country alliance to bring a security-related issue to the North Atlantic Council, the alliance's decision-making body, for discussion.
The incident surely has reaffirmed long-held concerns about the possibility of a battlefield miscalculation that could potentially spark a NATO-Russian conflict. Witnesses said they heard a terrifying "whoosh" as the projectile flew over the town and the force of the explosion shook nearby windows.
A large smoke plume can be seen in the centre of the village in a video taken by a resident and geolocated and confirmed by CNN. Local media depicted a crater and an upturned farm vehicle near the explosion site. CNN has not been able to independently confirm the photos.
Duda stated in his address that the US would send experts to investigate the site as part of a joint operation. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said after a call with Duda on Tuesday that “it is important that all facts are established.” He said, “I offered my condolences for the loss of life. NATO is monitoring the situation and Allies are closely consulting. Important that all facts are established.”
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