Nato: Fatal missile hit in Poland not Ukraine’s fault

There is no indication that the missile explosion in Poland was a deliberate attack and there is no indcation that Russia is preparing offensive military action against Nato, the Alliance’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told a news conference on November 16 after a meeting of the North Atlantic Council.

The investigation into the missile explosion, which left two people dead, was ongoing and the outcome should be awaited, Stoltenberg said.

The explosion took place as Russia launched a massive wave of rocket attacks across Ukraine, he said.

Stoltenberg said that the explosion “likely” was caused by an Ukrainian air defence missile against the Russian rocket attack.

“This is not Ukraine’s fault,” Stoltenerg said.

Russia was ultimately responsible as it was conducting its illegal war against Ukraine, he said.

He said that the North Atlantic Council had expressed strong solidarity with Nato ally Poland.

“Russia must stop this senseless war,” Stoltenberg said.

He said that the explosion demonstrated that the war in Ukraine, which was Russian President Putin’s responsibility was continuing to create dangerous situations.

Nato’s overall assessment of the threat to the Allies had not been changed by the incident, he said.

Stoltenberg said that providing more air defence for Ukraine was a top priority for Nato.

He welcomed the fact that Nato members were providing more air defence capacity for Ukraine.

He said that Nato was preparing for incidents such as that on November 15, to prevent them happening and to be prepared to handle such situations in a resolute and calm way and a way that prevented further escalation.

(Photo: Nato)

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