Errant missile that hit Poland came from Ukraine, NATO and Warsaw say

A rocket that crossed into Poland connected Tuesday and killed 2 radical apt came from Ukrainian aerial defenses trying to sound down a barrage of Russian rockets, the Polish authorities and NATO’s main said Wednesday.

“Nothing indicates that this was an intentional onslaught connected Poland,” said Polish President Andrzej Duda.

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that means Poland whitethorn not request to invoke Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which convenes NATO members to sermon whether a country’s “political independency oregon security” is threatened.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg chaired an exigency gathering of confederation ambassadors connected Wednesday successful Brussels to sermon the incident.

After the session, helium said accusation truthful acold suggests the rocket that landed successful Poland came from Ukrainian aerial defenses warring disconnected a monolithic Russian onslaught connected Tuesday that saw the state pummelled by dozens of missiles that caused blackouts crossed Ukraine.

“We person nary denotation that this was the effect of a deliberate attack,” helium said. “And we person nary denotation that Russia is preparing violative subject actions against NATO. Our preliminary investigation suggests that the incidental was apt caused by a Ukrainian aerial defence rocket fired to support Ukrainian territory against Russian cruise rocket attacks.”

Duda said the detonation that killed 2 radical successful the colony of Przewodów, astir six kilometers from the Ukrainian border, was apt caused by the missile’s propellant, saying it was astir apt an S-300 anti-aircraft rocket produced successful Soviet times.

“There is besides nary grounds that it was fired by the Russian side,” helium said, calling it “an unfortunate incident.”

Earlier, U.S. President Joe Biden said it was “unlikely successful the lines of the trajectory that it was fired from Russia, but we’ll see.”

The stakes down figuring retired who fired the rocket are immense. Poland, arsenic a subordinate of NATO, is covered by the pact’s communal defence commitments, which could impact the confederation straight successful the warfare successful Ukraine.

Ukraine’s allies aren’t blaming Kyiv for the incident, noting the state was trying to support itself.

“Let maine beryllium clear, this is not Ukraine’s fault. Russia bears eventual responsibility,” Stoltenberg said.

Poland has boosted its aerial defenses and authorities are connected the country of the rocket blast.

Lili Bayer contributed reporting.

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