Two people were killed as a result of the fall of Russian missiles in Poland, close to the border with Ukraine. The world is reacting to this tragic incident. In particular, a White House spokesman said that the United States is working to find out what happened in Poland.
How the United States reacted
The United States announced the launch of an investigation into the fall of missiles in Poland. This was stated by both, the White House and the State Department. Washington wants to know if the strike on the NATO member state was intentional by Russia or if it was an accident.
Principal Deputy State Department Spokesman Vedant Patel was responding to a statement by the Russian Defense Ministry in which the aggressor country called the reported strike in Poland “a deliberate provocation to escalate the situation.” According to the official, the United States is not trying to aggravate the situation.
In addition, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will discuss the incident with his Polish counterpart on November 16.
UK and Germany are “working closely” with allies
A spokesman for the British Foreign Office has spoken of “close liaison” with allies following reports that Russian missiles have hit Poland. The Foreign Office said it was investigating the matter with the Allies.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock said she is closely monitoring the situation. German officials are communicating with Polish friends and NATO allies.
The Czech Republic and Slovakia outraged by Russia’s behavior
Czech Defense Minister Jana Černohova said that even if the Russian missile strike on Poland was a mistake, “we will all perceive it as an escalation of the conflict”. At the same time, the Prime Minister of the country Petr Fiala assured that such a decision will be made only after Poland officially confirms that the missiles were launched by Russians.
Slovakia is very concerned about the fall of Russian missiles on Poland. Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nagy said that Russia must explain what happened. Senseless attacks on infrastructure in Ukraine must stop immediately, he stressed. The minister noted that Russia’s recklessness is getting out of control.
France’s reaction
French President Emmanuel Macron intends to discuss at the G20 summit the information about the fall of missiles in Poland.
Hungary’s reaction
Hungarian Defense Minister Krisztof Szalay-Bobrovnicki had a phone conversation with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg regarding the missile strike in Poland. He said that in the situation with Poland “there is no need for any steps yet”, it is necessary to wait for the data from Warsaw.
Estonia and Latvia supported “Polish friends”
The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed concern over the fall of two missiles on a farm in Poland. Latvian and Estonian officials are currently consulting closely with Poland and other allies. The Estonian Defense Ministry said the country is ready to defend every inch of NATO territory.
Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks said that “Latvia fully supports Polish friends”. The President of the country assured that he is “strongly in solidarity with Poland”. In addition, on November 16, Latvia will hold an urgent government meeting on security and the situation in the region.
What is known about the fall of missiles in Poland?
Russian missiles fell on the territory of Poland on November 15. It happened during a massive missile attack. Russia fired almost a hundred missiles at Ukraine. Journalists reported that two missiles hit the village of Przewodow (Lublin region). Two people were killed.
The Russian ambassador is urgently summoned to the Polish Foreign Ministry. The Ministry demands detailed explanations.
NATO said that they had tracked where the missiles were flying from. The data was transferred to Poland. Currently, the information is secret.
The Pentagon is currently cautiously commenting on the situation in Poland. In particular, they do not confirm that the Russian missiles launched in Ukraine could have fallen in Poland. However, no details were reported there either.
