Biden "Full Support for Poland Investigation"

U.S. President Joe Biden. (Photo by Reuters)

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] U.S. President Joe Biden, who is visiting Indonesia to attend the Group of Twenty (G20) summit, stated regarding the missile explosion incident near the Poland border, "The United States pledges full support for the investigation being conducted by Poland."

On the 15th (local time), President Biden held an emergency call with Polish President Andrzej Duda and said, "The United States promises unwavering support for NATO's response." According to the U.S. political news outlet Politico, immediately after the missile strike, presumed to be from Russia, President Biden and leaders of major European countries spoke with President Duda by phone.

The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement that day officially confirming that the missile that fell in the border area with Ukraine was of Russian origin. President Duda stated that while it is highly likely the missile was Russian, it has not yet been confirmed who fired it.

On the 15th (local time), as Russia launched its largest missile attack since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, missiles fell on Polish territory, a NATO member country, resulting in two deaths. The Polish government has raised its military readiness and is considering invoking Article 4 of the NATO treaty in response. An apartment in the center of Kyiv, Ukraine, where the missile fell, was plunged into darkness due to a power outage.
(Photo by AP)

Major international media and local Polish outlets continue to report that the missile was launched from Russia. Polish local media reported that the missile, fired from Russia towards Ukraine, deviated from its course and fell in the village of Przewod?w near the Polish border, resulting in two fatalities, both farm workers. Photos showing farm vehicles destroyed by the missile have also been shared on social media.

Neighboring countries such as Hungary and the three Baltic states have also entered emergency mode in response to the strike. Hungary, a NATO member, immediately convened an emergency defense committee chaired by Prime Minister Viktor Orb?n following the reports. Latvian Prime Minister Kri?j?nis Kari?? announced plans to hold an emergency meeting on the 16th to analyze the security situation. On Twitter, Prime Minister Kari?? said, "I will hear reports from responsible departments and agencies regarding the security situation in the area" and added, "We will prepare additional responses."

While the U.S. and Europe have condemned the strike, they are cautious about attributing it directly to Russia. White House National Security Council (NSC) spokesperson Adrian Watson stated, "At this stage, we cannot confirm detailed facts." Pentagon spokesperson Patrick Ryder said, "The United States is aware that two missiles struck the Polish area near the Ukrainian border and takes this very seriously," adding, "At this stage, there is no information to confirm the claim that Russia is responsible."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.