Joe Biden has disputed claims by Volodymyr Zelensky that a missile that killed two people after entering Poland “wasn’t Ukrainian”. Zelensky said he had “no doubt” the missile had not been fired by Kiev, even after NATO said it was “probably”.
Biden suggested that the trajectory of the missile was unlikely to have come from Russia and, when asked about Zelensky’s comments, added, “That’s not the evidence.”
The missile hit a grain silo on a farm in the Polish village of Przewodow, which has a population of about 420 and is six kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
The incident sparked international outrage over the possibility that Russia had launched an attack on NATO territory, which could lead to a collective response and a major escalation of the war.
Poland’s Foreign Ministry said the missile was “Russian-made”.
However, Ukraine continues to use Russian and Russian-made weapons, and it is now believed that the missile probably came from Ukraine’s air defenses.
Last night, President Zelensky urged Poland and NATO to share evidence that the missile was indeed Ukrainian and to allow Ukrainian specialists to participate in the “investigation” of the attack.
“Ukrainian position is very transparent: we strive to establish every detail, every fact,” Zelensky said.
He also offered his condolences to Polish President Andrzej Duda for the two deaths in the blast and held a minute’s silence.
Duda said: “There are many indications that it was an air defense missile, which unfortunately fell on Polish territory.”
Russia carried out one of the largest rocket bombings of the war on Tuesday as the heads of many developed countries met in Bali, Indonesia for the G20 summit.
In the attacks on cities across Ukraine, Kiev launched its own air defenses in an attempt to bring down the Russian missiles before they reached their targets.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said yesterday that the incident was “probably” caused by Ukraine’s air defenses, but that ultimate responsibility for the loss of life rests with Moscow.
He said: “But we have no indication that this was the result of a deliberate attack. And we have no indication that Russia is preparing offensive military actions against NATO.
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Our preliminary analysis suggests that the incident was likely caused by a Ukrainian air defense missile launched to defend Ukrainian territory from Russian cruise missile attacks.
“But let me be clear. This is not Ukraine’s fault. Russia bears the ultimate responsibility as it continues its illegal war against Ukraine.
“At today’s meeting, NATO allies expressed their deepest sympathy for the tragic loss of life. They expressed their strong solidarity with our valued ally Poland. And made it clear that we will continue to support Ukraine in its right to self-defense. Russia must do this stop this senseless war.”
The Kremlin has denied responsibility for the strike. It said: “No attacks on targets near the Ukrainian-Polish state border were carried out by Russian means of destruction.”