Poland convened an emergency assembly of national security officials on Tuesday, after Polish media reported that shells killed two other people near the border with Ukraine on Tuesday.
It’s unclear where the projectiles came from, but they landed on the NATO member’s territory around the same time Russia launched its biggest wave of missile attacks on Ukrainian cities in more than a month.
Polish media showed a symbol of a deep impact and an overturned agricultural vehicle at the site, near the town of Przewodow, about six kilometers west of the border with Ukraine.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki convened the Council of Ministers’ Committee for National Security and Defense Affairs, a spokesman said.
A Polish official told CNN that nothing has yet been shown and that the investigation into the incident is ongoing.
The Russian Defense Ministry denied targeting the border and called Polish media reports “a planned provocation aimed at escalating the situation,” according to a report published last Tuesday.
“The statements by Polish media and officials about the alleged fall of ‘Russian’ missiles in the Przewodow agreement are a planned provocation with the aim of aggravating the situation,” he said, adding that “there were no attacks. “on targets near the Ukraine-Poland border. “
He added that images of the remains through Polish media “from the scene in the village of Przewodow have nothing to do with Russian weapons. “
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed Russia and described the fatal explosion as a “significant escalation” in Moscow’s invasion.
Little is for the public about the origin of the projectiles.
A NATO official told CNN he is still waiting to be briefed more on what happened and is waiting for Warsaw’s main points.
NATO allies responded with fear to the reports. Some were circumspect in their statements, speculating or confirming the origin of the projectile.
A senior White House official said they had no confirmation of a rocket or missile strike in Poland, but that lately U. S. officials scrambled to find out what happened precisely.
The State Department’s most sensible deputy spokesman, Vedant Patel, echoed the U. S. verification of reports of missiles hitting Polish territory and killing two people.
“We have become aware of those reports from Poland and we are working with the Polish government and our NATO partners to gather more information,” Patel told a news conference. “We verify the reports or any of the main points at this time. “
A spokesman for the British Foreign Office said they are “investigating those reports and keeping in touch with Allies. “
The Baltic states of NATO have been more eloquent in their statements, underlining their readiness for NATO territory.
Estonia’s news is “very worrying,” according to a Twitter post through Estonia’s Foreign Ministry.
“Estonia is in a position to protect every square inch of NATO territory,” he added.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said he was involved with the news and said “Lithuania stands firmly in solidarity with Poland. “
“Every square inch of NATO territory will have to be defended!” he added on social media.
Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks blamed Russia, even though the Polish government did not verify that the Russian missiles had landed on Polish territory.
“Condolences to our Polish brothers-in-arms. The corrupt Russian regime fired missiles that only targeted Ukrainian civilians, but also landed on NATO territory in Poland. Latvia fully supports Polish friends and condemns this crime,” Pabriks wrote.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an organization of 30 North American and European nations. According to NATO, its objective “is to guarantee the freedom and security of its members through political and military means. “
The alliance created in 1949 as a reaction to the start of the Cold War. Its initial objective was to protect the West from the risk posed by the Soviet Union. displeasure.
The best-known facet of the alliance is article five of the treaty, which, if invoked, means that “an attack on one best friend will be an attack on all allies. “
Article five has been invoked once, in reaction to the terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001.
However, the alliance can take collective defense measures by invoking Article Five, and it did so in light of the Russian attack on Ukraine.
The State Department’s Patel said Tuesday he would not talk about hypothetical when asked about NATO Articles 4 and 5, but said the intent “is whatever is important” to find an answer.
“As I said, we will know what happened and take the appropriate next steps, but as I said, it happened in the last hour and that’s why we are still taking the vital time to perceive the precise facts,” he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has long complained that NATO has, over time, expanded its borders by admitting Eastern European countries that were once part of the Soviet Union, meaning Russia now has a land border with the world’s largest military alliance. reducing its geopolitical strength into what was once Moscow’s sphere of influence.
As recently as February, he demanded that NATO return to the 1997 borders, before the Baltic nations of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, the last two bordering Russia, joined the alliance.
El-CNN-Wire™
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