US: "Poland's Strike Missiles Originated from Ukraine, Not Russia" (Summary)

Risk of Military Conflict Between Russia and NATO Subsides for Now
G20 Adopts Joint Statement "Strongly Condemning Russia"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] It has been identified that the missile that fell in a border village in eastern Poland was an interceptor missile launched by the Ukrainian military to defend against an attack by Russian forces. This seems to have temporarily defused the imminent risk of a military clash between Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). However, as investigations by the Polish government and NATO are still ongoing and international criticism is mounting over Russia’s largest missile bombardment since the start of the war, the development of the situation is being closely watched.

On the 16th (local time), three anonymous U.S. officials told the Associated Press that preliminary investigation results indicate the missile that fell in Poland appears to have been launched by the Ukrainian military in response to a series of Russian airstrikes on Ukrainian infrastructure. NATO stated that the missile trajectory investigation showed that the missile was launched by the Ukrainian military to intercept Russian missiles but ended up falling in Poland.

U.S. President Joe Biden is answering questions from reporters after a meeting with G7 leaders on the 16th (local time). (Photo by AFP)

◆"Struggling Russia unlikely to drag NATO into conflict"= Russia launched about 100 missile strikes across Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv, the previous day. Around 3:40 p.m. local time in Poland on the same day, two missiles fell in Przewod?w, a town in eastern Poland near the Ukrainian border, killing two people. Poland immediately raised its military alert status. NATO considered military intervention, and international tensions escalated due to the risk of escalation.

The Polish government stated in a press release that the missile that fell on its territory was of Russian origin, but did not comment on whether the missile strike was a Russian targeting error or a Ukrainian defensive line that went off course. The Russian Ministry of Defense countered by calling the Polish government’s claim a ‘deliberate provocation’ and denied any attempted attack targeting the Polish border. The Associated Press reported that given Russia is already struggling to defend against the Ukrainian military, it is unlikely that Russia would deliberately attack Poland to drag NATO allies into the war.

The missile that struck Poland was confirmed to be an ‘S-300’ missile, which is used by both Russia and Ukraine. German DPA news agency reported that U.S. President Joe Biden, during an emergency meeting with G7 and NATO leaders the previous day regarding the missile strike in Poland, mentioned indications that the missile was an anti-aircraft missile launched from Ukraine. President Biden reportedly referred to the S-300 surface-to-air missile at that time.

(Photo by Reuters)

◆First invocation of Article 5 since 9/11 fails to materialize= With it being established that the recent airstrike was not Russia’s doing, the likelihood of invoking NATO’s Article 5 has diminished. The last time Article 5 was invoked was after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. While the Polish government has indicated it is considering invoking NATO’s Article 4, which guarantees security consultations and information sharing among member states in emergencies, there has been debate over whether this incident qualifies for the collective defense clause under Article 5.

Earlier, a senior French military official told Bloomberg, "Even if it is proven that Russia was behind the airstrike in Poland, NATO’s Article 5 (collective defense clause) will not be automatically triggered." He added, "What happened in Poland is still unclear, and since many countries use the same weapons, identifying the missile does not prove who launched it."

NATO will hold an emergency meeting on the 16th to discuss the missile strike issue in Poland. Given that this missile attack by Russia is the largest since the start of the war, NATO is expected to strengthen air defense systems around the Ukrainian border.

◆"If no Russian airstrike, no missile strike in Poland"?Intense criticism= Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte tweeted on the day, "If Russia had not launched the horrific missile attack on Ukraine, the deadly missile strike near the Polish border would not have happened." Rutte also posted a photo on Twitter of an emergency meeting with G7 and NATO leaders regarding the missile strike in Poland, writing, "The major leaders agreed to support Poland’s investigation and clarify the facts."

Leaders participating in the G20 concluded a two-day summit by issuing a joint statement strongly condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The statement warned that "Russia’s invasion is harming the global economy and increasing the risk of nuclear weapons use."

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