Missile strike in Poland would not have happened without Russian invasion, Dutch PM says

No matter where the missile that hit Poland on Tuesday came from, “this would not have happened without Russia’s horrific attacks against Ukraine,” Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Wednesday morning after meeting with the G7 and NATO members present at the G20 summit in Bali. “We continue to support Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression.”

The missile hit the east of Poland, near the Ukrainian border, killing at least two people. Poland is investigating. Polish President Andrzej Duda said that the missile was “most probably” Russian-made, but its origins have yet to be verified.

Three United States officials told the Associated Press that the preliminary assessments suggested that Ukrainian forces fired the missile at an incoming Russian one amid a massive Russian attack on Ukraine’s electrical infrastructure.

Russia denies attacking Poland. On Telegram, Dmitri Polyanski, the head of the Russian representation at the United Nations, called the missile strike an attempt to provoke a military confrontation between NATO and Russia. “With all the consequences for the world,” he said.

NATO and the G7 will await the investigation into who fired the missile before deciding on further steps, Rutte said. “We are united in our message that we first need to establish the facts and therefore support Poland’s investigation.”

According to Polish media, the missile hit an area where grain was drying in Przewodow, a village near the border with Ukraine.