– There are no indications that this was the result of a deliberate attack. And we have no indications that Russia is preparing offensive military actions against NATO, Stoltenberg said Wednesday at a press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
The same morning, NATO held an ambassador-level crisis meeting on Tuesday’s incident in Poland, where a rocket hit the rural town of Przewodow about six kilometers from the Ukrainian border. Two people lost their lives.
Ukrainian rocket
According to Stoltenberg, preliminary investigations show that it was probably a Ukrainian rocket that caused the explosion, but it is clear that he does not place the blame on Ukraine.
– Let me be clear: it’s not Ukraine’s fault. Russia bears the responsibility as it continues its illegal war against Ukraine.
The NATO chief points out that the explosion in Poland came at the same time as Russia launched a new wave of rocket attacks on Ukrainian cities on Tuesday.
– This in itself is a dangerous situation, he says.
Article 4 not activated
Poland also concluded that Tuesday’s blast was likely an accident and not a deliberate attack, the country’s President Andrzej Duda said shortly before Stoltenberg’s news conference.
Duda said Tuesday that Poland is considering activating Article 4 of the NATO pact, which stipulates that NATO countries must consult with each other when the security of one of the countries is threatened.
Poland has not asked, Stoltenberg confirmed at a press conference on Wednesday.
He stressed that preliminary investigations indicate that it was a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile, fired as protection against Russian attacks, that caused the explosion.
I was worried
Stoltenberg says he was concerned when he learned of the explosions in Poland on Tuesday.
– We were worried when we received the messages yesterday and, above all, we were sorry that there were two deaths.
At the same time, it ensures that NATO is ready to handle such situations.
— We practice and prepare for incidents and incidents like this, primarily to prevent it from happening, but also to avoid escalation, Stoltenberg said.
The NATO chief has received several questions about whether NATO will strengthen air defense in or around Poland or Ukraine following the explosion.
Stoltenberg stressed that NATO is not a party to the conflict in Ukraine and stressed that the alliance has strengthened its presence on the eastern flank since the outbreak of war.
– This incident shows how dangerous the war in Ukraine is, but it does not change our assessment of the threat to NATO allies.
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