German Chancellor Olaf Scholz with U.S. President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares Bueno, French FM Catherine Colonna, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken during talks about the explosion in Poland, at the G20 Leaders’ Summit, in Nusa Dua, Indonesia, Nov. 16, 2022.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday an explosion in eastern Poland near the Ukrainian border was “likely caused by a Ukrainian air defense missile fired to defend Ukrainian territory against Russian cruise missile attacks.”
Speaking to reporters in Brussels after a meeting of the North Atlantic Council, Stoltenberg said all NATO allies agreed with the assessment, which was based on preliminary analysis, and that an investigation was ongoing.
“But let me be clear: this is not Ukraine’s fault,” Stoltenberg said. “Russia bears ultimate responsibility as it continues its illegal war against Ukraine.”
The NATO chief said the best way to prevent a similar incident in the future is for Russia to stop its fighting in Ukraine.
He declined to provide additional details when asked if a Ukrainian missile had actually intercepted a Russian missile in the area or if fragments from a Russian missile were found on the ground. Stoltenberg told reporters NATO would later decide how much to reveal from its investigation.
Polish President Andrzej Duda also said Wednesday there was “nothing to suggest” an intentional Russian attack against his country.
“Ukraine’s defense was launching their missiles in various directions and it is highly probable that one of these missiles unfortunately fell on Polish territory,” Duda said.
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