Ukraine war

'This means war': Emergency NATO meeting after a Russian missile hits Poland

Emergency personnel near the area of the explosion in Przewodow, Poland, on Tuesday. (Photo: TVN via AP)

Within hours, NATO ambassadors will convene an emergency meeting to discuss the explosion in Poland, which was reportedly caused by a stray Russian missile.

Wednesday, firefighters reported that two people were killed in an explosion in Przewodow, a village in eastern Poland about 12 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

A senior US intelligence official was quoted by the Associated Press as saying that the explosion was caused by Russian missiles entering Poland.

At the request of Poland, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will preside over an emergency meeting in Brussels to discuss "this tragic incident," according to a CNN spokesperson.

Additionally, Poland has called an emergency meeting of its national security officials.

According to a ministry spokesperson, Poland's foreign ministry has also summoned the Russian ambassador to explain why a Russian-made missile fell on Polish territory and killed two people.

CNN reported that "in connection with this incident, Minister of Foreign Affairs Professor Zbigniew Rau summoned the ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and demanded immediate detailed explanations."

It is unknown where the projectiles originated, but they landed on NATO territory around the same time that Russia launched its largest wave of missile attacks against Ukrainian cities in over a month.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization members are committed to collective defense. This means that a Russian attack on Poland could significantly escalate the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which began in February with Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Pentagon, White House, and State Department officials in Washington stated they were unable to confirm the report and were working with the Polish government to gather more information.

The State Department stated that the report was "extremely alarming." Since the incident, US Vice President Joe Biden has spoken with the Polish President.

Mr. Biden tweeted on Wednesday, "I spoke with Polish President Andrzej Duda to express my deepest condolences for the loss of life in eastern Poland and to offer our full support for Poland's investigation into the explosion."

As the situation develops, we will remain in close contact to determine the appropriate next steps.

Germany and Canada have stated that they are monitoring the situation, while Norway has stated that it is seeking details.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong of Australia expressed grave concern over reports that Russian missiles had strayed into Poland.

She reiterated the call for Russia to withdraw its forces and end its illegal and immoral war.

In a "significant escalation" of the conflict, according to the president of Ukraine, Russian missiles struck Poland.

He offered no evidence of the strikes.

The Russian Ministry of Defense refuted reports that Russian missiles struck Polish territory, describing them as "a deliberate provocation designed to escalate the situation."

Russian weapons did not strike any targets near the Ukrainian-Polish state border, the report stated.

The Kremlin did not respond to requests for comment immediately.

Russia bombarded Ukrainian cities with missiles on Tuesday in what Kyiv described as the heaviest wave of missile attacks in nearly nine months of the war.

Some reached Lviv, which is less than 80 kilometers from Poland's border.

Fabrice Pothier, the former head of policy planning in the office of the NATO secretary-general, told Sky TV that it was too early to determine whether the potential strike was intentional or accidental.

Mr. Pothier stated that the events were sufficient to trigger NATO treaty articles requiring Poland to call a NATO meeting "to consult with each other, assess the threat, and take concrete action."

Government spokesman Piotr Muller announced on Twitter that Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has called an emergency meeting of a government committee for national security and defense affairs.

Mr. Pothier echoed the sentiments of Artis Pabriks, the deputy prime minister of Latvia, who described the situation as "unacceptable" and predicted that it would prompt NATO to provide additional anti-aircraft defenses to Poland and Ukraine.

"Every square inch of #NATO territory must be defended!" tweeted Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda.

According to the BNS newswire, Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu stated, "We are discussing with our allies how to respond jointly and decisively to what has occurred."

Publish : 2022-11-16 07:58:00

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