The investigation is advancing after the explosion that killed two people in Poland on Tuesday. NATO “has no evidence” to attribute this deadly explosion to “a deliberate attack” against this country, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a press conference in Brussels on Wednesday.
“Our preliminary analysis suggests that the incident was likely caused by a Ukrainian air defense system missile fired to defend Ukrainian territory against Russian cruise missiles,” Stoltenberg said.
Polish President Andrzej Duda also deemed it “highly likely” on Wednesday that the downed missile was used for Ukraine’s defense, as the explosion immediately raised concerns that NATO could be drawn directly into Russia’s war against Ukraine.
According to the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the explosion occurred at 14:40 GMT on Tuesday. In the town of Przewodow, where the missile killed two people, security forces formed an impassable barrier around the area, AFP said. Police sirens wail under gray, rainy skies.
Western support and caution
After the incident, Westerners gave cautious support to Poland, with US President Joe Biden saying it was “unlikely” that the missile was “fired from Russia.”
“I will make sure that we can determine what exactly happened” before deciding on a reaction, he added, following an emergency meeting on Wednesday of the leaders of the G7 great powers (the United States, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Canada , Japan), in Indonesia, on the sidelines of the G20 summit.
Mao Ning, spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry, on Wednesday called on “all parties involved” to “remain calm and exercise restraint to avoid escalation.” Paris also calls for “the greatest caution”, “many countries” in the region have the same type of missile, warning against “the significant risks of escalation”.
It is “absolutely essential to prevent the escalation of the war in Ukraine,” urged United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, calling for a “thorough investigation.”
Source: BFM TV
