“We have no indication that it was a deliberate attack,” said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, speaking to reporters in Brussels, about the fall of a missile in Poland that killed two people on Tuesday.
“And we have no indication that Russia is preparing an armed offensive against NATO,” he adds.
“Our preliminary analysis shows that the accident was most likely caused by a Ukrainian air defense missile to defend its territory against Russian cruise missile attacks.”
Jens Stoltenberg points out that no one is “blaming” Ukraine: “Russia bears the ultimate responsibility as it continues its illegal war against Ukraine.”
“Of course, Ukraine has the right to defend itself against the Russian invasion,” he reinforces. “If they stop fighting, Russia will win… and Ukraine will cease to exist as a sovereign and independent nation.”
The secretary general of the Alianza Atlântica adds that this accident does not change NATO’s relationship with Ukraine, which will continue to receive the support of the allies to “fight against this senseless war”.
[LIVE] Clock #BORN general secretary @jensstoltenbergpress conference following the North Atlantic Council meeting to discuss yesterday’s explosion in the East #Poland🇧🇷 https://t.co/l4yVwj9KE2
– Oana Lungescu (@NATOpress) November 16, 2022
Jens Stoltenberg says that after this morning’s meeting, NATO sends condolences to Poland for the loss of life and a message of “solidarity” towards the allied country.
“We will continue to closely monitor this situation (…) and constantly evaluate what we must do,” he says. If necessary, NATO will be able to quickly “raise its defences.”
Asked about the remains of the missile that fell in Poland, Jens Stoltenberg refuses to give “details”, repeating that the “preliminary analysis” shows that it is a Ukrainian defense missile.
There is still no final result of this investigation, but “all the allies agree with the assessment that I have just shared and we do not have any evidence that there was a deliberate attack on NATO territory.”
It makes no sense to invoke Article 4 of NATO, the allies considered, despite the fact that the risk was always latent: “If there had not been a war, of course, we would not be in this situation”, with two deaths of Polish citizens, says Stoltenberg .
Source: TSF
