KYIV: The United States and its NATO allies are investigating the blast that killed two people in Poland, but early information suggests it may not have been caused by a missile fired from Russia, U.S. President Joe Biden said.
The fear of war escalated as Russia launched a missile attack on the border between Ukraine and Poland. The missile killed two persons. Poland gave orders for the army to get ready for the new circumstances.
Poland said early Wednesday that a Russian-made missile fell in the eastern part of the country, killing two people in a blast that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy decried as “a very significant escalation” of the war.
The missile was determined to be a Russian-made weapon, according to the Polish Foreign Ministry. Poland, meanwhile, claims that it is still looking for further evidence to support the claim that Russia was behind the attack.
An urgent meeting was convened by NATO. Andrzej Suda, the president of Poland, spoke with US president Joe Biden.
President Joe Biden stated on Wednesday that it was "unlikely" that a missile that killed two people in NATO partner Poland was launched from Russia. Nevertheless, he vowed to help Poland's probe into what it had claimed to be a "Russian-made" missile.
In Indonesia on Wednesday morning, Biden called an "emergency" meeting of the leaders of the Group of Seven and NATO to discuss the incident that left two people dead in the eastern portion of Poland close to the Ukrainian border.
The president, who was awakened overnight by staff with the news of the missile explosion while in Indonesia for the Group of 20 Summit, called Polish President Andrzej Duda early Wednesday to express his “deep condolences” for the loss of life. Biden promised on Twitter “full U.S support for and assistance with Poland’s investigation,” and “reaffirmed the United States ironclad commitment to NATO.”
Under the direction of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, a conference will be conducted to evaluate the new circumstance and go through possible emergency steps.
Months into the war, Russia has yet to attack NATO countries. Poland is a member of the 30-nation NATO military alliance, which includes the UK, Germany and the US.
The law in NATO is to help each other in the event of an armed attack. If it is confirmed that the attack was carried out by Russia, it will move things into a high-conflict situation. Many have sought refuge in Poland since the start of the Russian-Ukraine invasion.
British Prime Minister, Rishi Sukh also came forward to condemn the attack. Sunak stated that he had a discussion with the President of Poland and that NATO allies will be coordinated.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, stated that the entire world should be protected from Russian aggression and that all information about the attack was handed over to Poland.
On Tuesday, Biden and Zelenskyy pressed fellow G20 leaders at the summit in Indonesia for a robust condemnation of Russia’s nuclear threats and food embargoes. More discussion and a possible vote were expected Wednesday.
Biden and his allies had set out to isolate Russia at the G-20 summit, and the group’s final communique was expected to show that “most” of the nations in the G-20 condemn Russia’s invasion.