Status: 11/15/2022 10:47 p.m
Federal Foreign Minister Baerbock and other heads of government pledge Poland’s support following reports of a possible Russian missile strike. EU Council President Michel said that they were on Poland’s side.
After reports of possible Russian rocket attacks in Poland, heads of state and government have pledged their support to the Polish government. Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock was concerned. “My thoughts are with Poland, our close ally and neighbor,” wrote the Green politician on Twitter. “We are closely monitoring the situation and are in contact with our Polish friends and NATO allies.”
Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nauseda emphasized the “great solidarity” with Poland and emphasized: “Every meter of NATO territory must be defended.” According to Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks, NATO could set up anti-aircraft defenses for Poland and “part of Ukrainian territory”. “Intentionally or unintentionally caused – such a situation is unacceptable,” he wrote on Twitter. Slovakia’s Prime Minister Eduard Heger was also “deeply concerned” about the reports.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala warned that if it were confirmed that Russian shells had landed on Polish territory, that would be a new level of escalation on the part of Russia. Belgium’s Prime Minister Alexander De Croo also emphasized that Poland is a permanent member of the “NATO family”, which is more united than ever. De Croo spoke of an “accident” on Polish territory, which he strongly condemned.
EU Council President: “Shocked” by reports
EU Council President Charles Michel said he was “shocked” by the reports. The European Union stands by Poland. He is also in contact with the Polish authorities, members of the council and other allies, Michel wrote on Twitter.
Ukraine calls for NATO summit
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy directly accused Russia of firing the missiles at Poland, causing a “very significant escalation”. “Today Russian missiles hit Poland, the territory of an allied country. People died. Please accept our condolences,” said Zelenskyy in his evening video address. This is “Russia’s attack on collective security,” said the Ukrainian president. The longer Russia feels unassailable, the greater the threats to anyone within range of Russian missiles.
A NATO summit with the participation of Ukraine should work out further steps, suggested Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. After the incident in a village near the border in eastern Poland, in which two people died, he called for better anti-aircraft defense and US F-15 and F-16 fighter jets for Kyiv. “Today protecting the skies of Ukraine also means protecting NATO,” Kuleba wrote on Twitter.
Moscow calls reports “provocations”
The Russian government dismissed the reports as “provocations”. “Statements by the Polish media and Polish government officials about the alleged crash of Russian missiles near the village of Przewodow are tantamount to a deliberate provocation with the aim of escalating the situation,” the Moscow Defense Ministry said in the online service Telegram.
The Ministry of Defense said that no targets in the Ukrainian-Polish border area were fired at. The photos of alleged pieces of debris circulated in the Polish media also had nothing to do with Russian weapon systems, it said.