Following an AP report that Russian missiles had penetrated into the territory of the NATO ally, the State Department declared that the Biden administration was collaborating with members of the Polish government.
Tuesday’s alleged Russian missile strike in Poland that resulted in the deaths of two individuals prompted concerns of a significant escalation from Nato allies.
According to local accounts, the attack on the grain store in Przewodow, Lublin, close to the Ukrainian border, may have seriously escalated the conflict there.
After Vladimir Putin ordered a round of new missile strikes, an explosion at a farm close to the Polish village of Przewodow, some four miles from the Nato member’s border with Ukraine, took place.
Pictures taken near the Polish border revealed a sizable crater close to an overturned car. The neighbourhood fire department verified the fatalities but claimed to have not determined what caused the explosion.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki was in urgent talks with his security committee on Tuesday night but did not immediately respond to the reports.
The security and defence councils of Poland have been called to an urgent meeting, according to a government official.
A sizable crater on the earth was visible in photos taken at the scene. The Pentagon claimed to be taking the reports seriously but the evidence is still being verified.
Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said when questioned about Article 5, the Nato treaty’s collective defence clause: “I think it is incumbent on all of us to obtain the facts before we start speculating or leaping to conclusions.”
Senior US intelligence officials claimed to the AP that “Russian missiles” were to blame, but the Pentagon stated that it was unable to confirm the claims right away.
If verified, the lethal attack would mark the first on NATO soil since the February invasion of Ukraine. An attack on one NATO member is an attack on all members, according to Article 5.
The Nato Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, has already issued a warning that the alliance will defend “every inch” of the territory of its members. Following the strike, NATO countries Lithuania and Estonia reiterated the warning.
Patrick Ryder, a spokesperson for the Pentagon, stated: “I don’t want to guess or enter into hypotheticals.
We have been very clear about our commitment to defending every square inch of NATO territory when it comes to our security obligations and Article 5.
Defense Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Artis Pabriks of Latvia said: “My sympathies to our Polish combatants. In addition to people in Ukraine, the criminal Russian dictatorship launched missiles that landed in Poland on NATO territory. Latvia vehemently denounces this crime alongside its Polish allies.”
Estonia’s foreign minister said in the meantime: “The most alarming recent news comes out of Poland. Poland and other Allies are being carefully consulted by us. Every square inch of NATO territory will be defended by Estonia. We stand firmly in sympathy with Poland, a vital ally.”
The Czech Prime Minister, Petr Fiala, also weighed out, stating that Moscow’s attacks on Ukraine were evidence that it planned to destroy that nation.
On Twitter, Mr. Fiala stated that “Russia would escalate the situation further if Poland certifies that the missiles also impacted its soil.” We firmly support our ally in the EU and NATO.
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, responded to the claimed strike on Poland by declaring: “To launch missiles against Nato territory, this is a Russian missile attack on collective security. This is a huge uptick in the situation. We must take action.
I also want to stress that Ukraine will always support all of our Polish brothers and sisters.
The charges were deemed a deliberate provocation by the Russian defence ministry, which also denied that a Russian missile had struck Polish soil.
In his words, “The fragments look consistent with a 5V55 series air defence missile fired by Ukrainian S-300PS/PT and Russian S-300PMU-1/2 SAM (surface to air missile) systems.”
If it is a 5V55 series, it could have been launched by either side, either defensively by the Ukrainians trying to intercept incoming Russian cruise and ballistic missiles or offensively as a crude ballistic missile, as Russia has been doing a lot in recent months. However, there is not enough information to make a definitive identification.
It would seem accidental any way,
As part of a “major escalation,” according to Ukraine’s President Volodymr Zelensky, Russia launched 90 missiles towards Ukraine on Tuesday, including missiles that struck Poland. He called it a “attack on collective security,” asked the international community to take action, and predicted further strikes on “everyone within Russian missile range.”
“Today what we have warned about a long time ago has happened. Terror is not limited to our national borders. Russian missiles hit Poland,” he wrote on Telegram.
“How many times has Ukraine said that our country will not limit the terrorist state? It is only a matter of time before Russian terror goes further.”
“To fire missiles at NATO territory is a Russian missile attack on collective security. This is a severe escalation. We must act.”
According to Mykhailo Podolyak, Zelensky’s advisor, the Russian forces’ attacks on the territory were not an accident but rather a premeditated “hello.”
