Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), says the missile that landed in Poland “likely” did not come from Russia.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Stoltenberg said, “Our preliminary analysis suggests that the incident was likely caused by a Ukrainian air defense missile fired to defend Ukrainian territory against Russian cruise missile attacks.”
“But let me be clear, this is not Ukraine’s fault,” he continued. “Russia bears ultimate responsibility as it continues its illegal war against Ukraine.”
Stoltenberg also said there was no indication the incident was a deliberate attack, or a sign of an offensive against NATO members.
Watch the video below:
"This is not Ukraine's fault."
— Sky News (@SkyNews) November 16, 2022
NATO's Jens Stoltenberg says "preliminary analysis suggests the incident [in Poland] was likely caused by a Ukrainian air defence missile fired to defend Ukrainian territory against Russian cruise missile attacks".https://t.co/d0vDyRswab pic.twitter.com/L8552mZc8h
On Tuesday, a missile landed in a Polish village near the border of Ukraine, killing two.
Initial reports seemed to indicate that a Russian missile landed in Poland, which is a NATO member.
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A senior U.S. intelligence official says Russian missiles crossed into NATO member Poland, killing two people.
— Philip Crowther (@PhCrowther) November 15, 2022
News of the incident sparked speculation that NATO members could escalate their involvement in the war in Ukraine.
However, Russia denied it was behind the incident and claimed it was a “provocation.”
Hours later, President Joe Biden was asked if it was too early to say if the missile was fired from Russia.
“There is preliminary information that contests that,” Biden responded. “I don’t want to say that until we investigate.”
He added, “It’s unlikely in the minds of the trajectory that it was fired from Russia. But, we’ll see.”
Watch the video below:
"Mr. President, is it too early to say whether this missile was fired from Russia?"
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) November 16, 2022
BIDEN: "It's unlikely in the minds of the trajectory that it was fired from Russia" pic.twitter.com/8T2xN76SAS
And on Wednesday, Polish President Andrzej Duda said there were “many indications” the missile was part of Ukraine’s air defenses and “unfortunately fell on Polish territory.”