Biden says missile that struck Poland village 'unlikely' fired from Russia
“It is unlikely in the lines of the trajectory that it [missile] was fired from Russia, but we’ll see," says US President Joe Biden in Bali, while pledging full support to Warsaw's investigation into the incident that left two of its citizens dead.
President Joe Biden has said it was "unlikely" that a missile that killed two in NATO-ally Poland was fired from Russia, but he pledged support for Poland's investigation into what it had called a "Russian-made" missile.
Biden spoke after he convened an "emergency" meeting of the Group of Seven and NATO leaders in Indonesia on Wednesday morning for consultations on the attack that killed two people in the eastern part of Poland near the Ukraine border.
"There is preliminary information that contests that," Biden told reporters when asked if the missile had been fired from Russia. "It is unlikely in the lines of the trajectory that it was fired from Russia, but we'll see."
It was not immediately clear whether Biden was suggesting that the missile hadn't been fired by Russia at all.
Ukraine still maintains stocks of former Soviet and Russian-made weaponry, including the S-300 air-defence missile system. On Tuesday, Kiev denied the "conspiracy theory" that its missile had landed in Poland.
Russia too rejected the allegation as "deliberate provocation".
"No strikes on targets near the Ukrainian-Polish state border were made by Russian means of destruction. The wreckage published by Polish media in hot pursuit from the scene in the settlement of Przewodow has nothing to do with Russian weapons."
READ MORE: Countries react as 'missile strike' in Poland raises tensions
BREAKING: Biden says the missile that hit Poland is unlikely to have come from Russia pic.twitter.com/mWaHlBuqgl
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) November 16, 2022
'Total unanimity'
Biden, who was awakened overnight by staff with the news of the missile explosion while in Indonesia for the Group of 20 summits, called Polish President Andrzej Duda early on Wednesday to express his "deep condolences" for the loss of life.
Biden promised on Twitter "full US support for and assistance with Poland's investigation," and "reaffirmed the United States' ironclad commitment to NATO."
Biden said that he briefed the allies on his conversations with Duda and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and that there was "total unanimity among the folks at the table" to support Poland's investigation into the attack.
"I’m going to make sure we find out exactly what happened," Biden said. "And then we’re going to collectively determine our next step as we investigate."
Meeting at a large round table in a ballroom in his hotel, the US president hosted the leaders of the G-7, which includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the European Union, along with the president of the European Council and the prime ministers of NATO allies Spain and the Netherlands.
READ MORE: NATO member Poland puts military on alert after suspected missile strike
Two people were killed in an explosion in Przewodow, a village in eastern Poland about six kilometres from the border with Ukraine.
I spoke with President Andrzej Duda of Poland to express my deep condolences for the loss of life in Eastern Poland and offer our full support for Poland's investigation of the explosion.
— President Biden (@POTUS) November 16, 2022
We will remain in close touch to determine appropriate next steps as it proceeds. pic.twitter.com/m6OSwcHKtD
Duda cautious about missile origin
A statement from the Polish Foreign Ministry identified the missile as being made in Russia. But Poland's President Duda was more cautious about its origin, saying that officials did not know for sure who fired it or where it was made.
He said it was "most probably" Russian-made, but that is being still verified.
If confirmed, it would be the first time since the assault on Ukraine that a Russian weapon came down on a NATO country.
The foundation of the NATO alliance is the principle that an attack against one member is an attack on them all, making the source of the missile launch critical for determining the next steps.