2 years ago
32
NATO, Poland accidental deadly blast was apt unintentional
NATO's caput wide Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday that determination was "no indication" that a missile that landed wrong Poland, sidesplitting 2 radical connected Tuesday, was the effect of a deliberate onslaught by Russia, "and we person nary denotation that Russia is readying violative subject actions against NATO allies."
"I deliberation this demonstrates the dangers connected to the ongoing warfare successful Ukraine, but it hasn't changed our cardinal appraisal of the menace against NATO allies," Stoltenberg told journalists Wednesday aft a gathering of NATO's ambassadors.
Jens Stoltenberg, caput wide of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), speaks during a quality league pursuing a gathering of the North Atlantic Council astatine the NATO office successful Brussels, Belgium, November 16, 2022.
Bloomberg
He said that preliminary findings indicated that it was apt the rocket was Ukrainian aerial defense, but that "Russia bears work for what happened successful Poland yesterday," due to the fact that it was a "direct result" of ongoing Russian attacks connected Ukraine.
Poland is simply a subordinate of NATO, truthful if the rocket onslaught had been a hostile onslaught by Russia, it could person triggered a effect from the allies nether the corporate defence pact underpinning the transatlantic subject alliance, including the United States.
The root of the rocket that deed Polish territory Tuesday evening has not been confirmed, but arsenic of Wednesday, some the U.S. and Polish leaders had indicated that it was not apt to person been fired by Russia.
Members of the constabulary are seen adjacent the colony of Przewodow, Poland, November 16, 2022, aft 2 radical were killed the erstwhile day successful an detonation astatine a workplace adjacent the country's borderline with Ukraine.
Artur Widak/Anadolu Agency/Getty
President Joe Biden joined different Western leaders successful calling for a afloat probe into the strike, but said helium thought it was improbable the rocket was fired from Russia, based connected preliminary grounds connected its trajectory, and that it could alternatively person been the effect of a Ukrainian interception oregon attempted interception of a Russian attack.
"We'll see," Mr. Biden said Tuesday. "I'm going to marque definite we find retired precisely what happened."
President Joe Biden talks during a gathering of G7 and NATO leaders successful Bali, Indonesia, November 16, 2022.
Doug Mills/AP
Poland's President Andrzej Duda echoed Mr. Biden's appraisal Wednesday morning, saying it was astir apt a Ukrainian rocket that fell conscionable wrong Polish territory, adjacent the Ukraine border, by accident. He said it did not look to person been an "intentional attack" by Russia.
The Polish president repeated his remarks from the erstwhile day, saying that helium and his allies were "acting with calm" due to the fact that "this is simply a hard situation."
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin agreed, telling reporters astatine a briefing Wednesday, "We person seen thing that contradicts President Duda's preliminary appraisal that this detonation was astir apt the effect of a Ukrainian aerial defence rocket that unluckily landed successful Poland." Like different occidental leaders, Austin besides said that "Russia bears eventual work for this incident."
The Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine called connected societal media for a "joint study" of the incident. He said Ukraine was expecting to beryllium capable to reappraisal the grounds for immoderate decision that the rocket that landed successful Poland was Ukrainian aerial defense, and asked for Ukrainian officials to beryllium fixed entree to the site.
Виступаємо за спільне вивчення інциденту з падінням ракети в Польщі. Готові передати наявні у нас докази російського сліду. Очікуємо від партнерів інформацію, на підставі якої був зроблений висновок про те, що йдеться про ракету української ППО.
— Oleksiy Danilov (@OleksiyDanilov) November 16, 2022Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said aboriginal Wednesday that helium believed reports helium had received from Ukraine's aerial unit that the rocket was not Ukrainian. He besides called for Ukraine to beryllium allowed to sojourn the tract successful Poland.
"I person nary uncertainty successful the aerial force's study that it was not our rocket, and it was not our rocket strike. I person nary crushed not to spot them. I went done the warfare with them," Zelenskyy said successful a property conference. "Do we person the close to beryllium successful the probe team? Of course."
Polish investigators were hard astatine enactment successful the rocket crater earlier connected Wednesday and had established a constabulary cordon a fewer yards away, BBC News' Dan Johnson reported from the scene. Residents of the area, which is lone astir 10 miles from the Ukrainian border, person been tense that the warfare could spill implicit into their assemblage since Russian person Vladimir Putin launched his penetration connected February 24, Johnson noted.
W #Przewodów, gdzie doszło bash wybuchu policjanci od początku zdarzenia zabezpieczają teren. Policyjni eksperci m. in. z @CBSPolicji, #CLKP, Biura Kryminalnego @PolskaPolicja wspólnie z innymi służbami szczegółowo wyjaśniają okoliczności zdarzenia one zabezpieczają dowody. pic.twitter.com/ohBP0rT4u7
— Polska Policja 🇵🇱 (@PolskaPolicja) November 16, 2022Russia fired much than 90 missiles and drones astatine Ukrainian towns and cities connected Tuesday, plunging 10 cardinal households into darkness, the Ukrainian authorities said. It was the largest azygous rocket barrage Russia has launched during the war.
"This is simply a Russian rocket onslaught connected corporate security," Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky said. "This is simply a precise important escalation. We indispensable act."
The Kremlin denied work for the rocket landing successful Poland and called the effect of European leaders "hysterical," portion noting the "restrained and overmuch much professional" U.S. reaction.
Police officers basal astatine a blockade aft an detonation successful Przewodow, a colony successful eastbound Poland adjacent the borderline with Ukraine, November 16, 2022.
KACPER PEMPEL / REUTERS
While urging a thorough investigation, Western leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Sholz and U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, said Russia bore eventual work for the rocket landing successful Poland.
"This wouldn't person happened without the Russian warfare against Ukraine, without the missiles that are present being fired astatine Ukrainian infrastructure intensively and connected a ample scale," Scholz said.
"This is the cruel and unrelenting world of Putin's war," Sunak said.
CBS News analogous Chris Livesay contributed to this report.
Haley Ott is simply a integer reporter/producer for CBS News based successful London.
Thanks for speechmaking CBS NEWS.
Create your escaped relationship oregon log successful
for much features.
Please participate email code to continue
Please participate valid email code to continue
English (US)