US: "Poland Strike Missile, Intercept Missile from Ukraine" (Update)

(Photo by Reuters)

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo Yoo-jin] According to initial investigations, the missile that fell in Poland was confirmed to be an interception missile from Ukraine's air defense system, AP News reported on the 16th (local time), citing U.S. officials.

President Biden, in an emergency meeting held the previous day with leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) and NATO member countries regarding the missile strike in Poland, reportedly said there are signs that the anti-air missile was launched from Ukraine, according to German media.

At the time, President Biden stated, "There is preliminary information that the missile may not have been launched from Russia," adding, "We will make sure to find out exactly what happened. After that, we will decide on the next steps."

At around 3:40 p.m. local time on the 15th, two missiles fell in Przewod?w, a village near the eastern Polish-Ukrainian border, killing two people. Earlier that day, Russian forces launched more than 100 missiles at major cities including Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, Lviv in the west, and Kharkiv in the northeast, leading to speculation that the missile strike in Poland was Russia's doing.

Poland is a NATO member. According to Article 5 of the NATO Charter (the collective defense clause), which considers an attack on one member as an attack on all members, if it is confirmed that the missile was launched by Russia, a NATO-level military response could be discussed.

The Russian Ministry of Defense responded by calling it a "deliberate provocation" by the Polish government and stated that there has never been an attempt to target the Polish border.

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