Early investigations indicate that a fatal hit in Poland on Tuesday was “likely” triggered by a Ukrainian air defense missile, according to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
“Our early research indicates that the event was most likely caused by a Ukrainian air defense missile fired to defend Ukrainian territory against Russian cruise missile assaults,” Stoltenberg said at a press conference in Brussels on Wednesday.
“But, please understand, this is not Ukraine’s responsibility,” he continued. “Russia has ultimate responsibility for the continuation of its unlawful war on Ukraine.”
“We have no information that Russia is planning aggressive military operations against NATO,” said the alliance’s head.
On Tuesday, a fatal missile landed in eastern Poland near the Ukrainian border, marking the first time a NATO country has been directly targeted during the conflict. Leaders at the G20 conference in Bali have subsequently rushed to mitigate the incident’s impact.
