Missile that hit Poland fired by Ukrainian forces, say US officials

US President Joe Biden said it is 'unlikely' the missile was fired from Russia while initial findings suggest the missile that hit Poland was fired by Ukrainian forces at an incoming Russian missile

Police officers work outside a grain depot where, according to the Polish government, an explosion of a Russian-made missile killed two people. Picture: AP Photo/Michal Dyjuk

Initial findings suggest the missile that hit Poland was fired by Ukrainian forces at an incoming Russian missile, according to US officials.

It comes after US President Joe Biden said it is “unlikely” the missile that killed two people in Nato-ally Poland was fired from Russia, but pledged support for Poland’s investigation into what it had called a “Russian-made” missile.

Three US officials said preliminary assessments suggested the missile was fired by Ukrainian forces at an incoming Russian one amid the crushing salvo against Ukraine’s electrical infrastructure on Tuesday. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity.

Mr Biden’s comments after he convened an “emergency” meeting of the G7 and Nato leaders in Indonesia early 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,” Mr 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.”

Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy condemned the attack as “a very significant escalation”, but Russia denied any involvement in the Poland blast.

The Polish government said it was investigating and raising its level of military preparedness.

Police officers gather outside a grain depot in Przewodow, eastern Poland, on Tuesday Nov. 15, 2022 where the Polish Foreign Ministry said that a Russian-made missile fell and killed two people. Picture: AP Photo

A statement from the Foreign Ministry identified the weapon as made in Russia. President Andrzej Duda was more cautious, saying it was “most probably” Russian-made but its origins were still being verified.

“We are acting with calm,” he said. “This is a difficult situation.” 

Ukraine still has stocks of former Soviet and Russian-made weaponry, including the S-300 air-defence missile system.

European Commission president Ursula von Der Leyen said participants at the G7 meeting discussed the blast in Poland and expressed their continued solidarity with Ukraine.

“We offer our full support to Poland and assistance with the ongoing investigation. We will remain in close contacts with our partners on the next steps. We will stand with Ukraine as long as it takes,” she said.

Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg arranged the meeting of the alliance’s envoys in Brussels, and the UN Security Council plans to meet later for a previously scheduled briefing on the situation in Ukraine.

Poland and Nato used language that suggested they were not treating the missile blast as an intentional Russian attack, with Nato calling it a “tragic incident”.

If Russia had deliberately targeted Poland, it would risk drawing the 30-nation alliance into the conflict at a time when Moscow is already struggling to fend off Ukrainian forces.

Polish media said the strike hit an area where grain was drying in Przewodow, a village near the border with Ukraine.

Mr Biden, who was awakened overnight by staff with the news of the missile explosion while in Indonesia for the Group of 20 summit, earlier called Mr Duda to express his “deep condolences” for the loss of life.

It comes after US President Joe Biden said it is “unlikely” the missile that killed two people in Nato-ally Poland was fired from Russia. Picture: Alex Brandon/AP

Mr Biden promised on Twitter “full US support for and assistance with Poland’s investigation”, and “reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to NATO”.

He said that he briefed the allies on his conversations with Mr 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 figure out exactly what happened,” Mr Biden said. “Then we’re going to figure out our next step.”

Meeting at a large round table in a ballroom in his hotel, Mr Biden hosted the leaders of the G7, which includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the European Union, along with the president of the European Council and the prime ministers of Nato allies Spain and the Netherlands.

The foundation of the Nato alliance is the principle that an attack against one member is an attack on them all.