Poland missile ‘unlikely’ to have been fired from Russia, Biden says

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Joe Biden has said the missile that landed in Poland, killing two people, was unlikely to have been fired from Russia due to its trajectory.

The US president was speaking at the G20 meeting in Bali, Indonesia, after convening an emergency meeting of western leaders do discuss the explosion on Nato territory that has the potential to take the war in Ukraine into a new even more dangerous dimension.

Asked if the missile was fired from Russia, Biden said: “There is preliminary information that contests that. I don’t want to say that until we completely investigate. But it is unlikely in the minds [sic] of its trajectory that it was fired from Russia.” He added: “But we will see, we will see.”

The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the missile as a “Russian-made” missile, a phrase that could include S-300 ground to air missiles in the possession of Ukraine.

Poland’s president, Andrzej Duda, said he expected his country would call for an emergency meeting of Nato members on Wednesday and said it was not clear who launched the missile that landed in the village of Przewod?w a few miles away from the Ukrainian border on Tuesday afternoon.

The incident is the first time that the territory of a Nato country has been struck during the near nine-month Ukraine war, and follows an intense 100-missile attack by Russia on Ukraine, which saw millions lose power and supply in neighbouring Moldova also disrupted.

The Polish president said he had spoken to Joe Biden, UK prime minister Rishi Sunak, and Germany’s Olof Scholz and told them it was “highly likely” that Poland would request the special consultative Nato meeting.

The meeting would be convened under article 4 of the Nato treaty, which allows for all allies to be brought together for talks when the “territorial integrity, political independence or security” of any member has been threatened.

Earlier, the White House said that Biden offered “full support” for Poland’s investigation during his call with Duda. The US president also “reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to Nato” and called for the two countries to remain in close touch.

Poland’s government said it had summoned Moscow’s ambassador for an explanation but Russia’s defence ministry denied its missiles crossed into Poland, calling the reports a “deliberate provocation” in a statement.

“No strikes on targets near the Ukrainian-Polish state border were made by Russian rockets. The wreckage published by the Polish media from the scene in the village of Przewod?w has nothing to do with Russian weapons,” the Russian defence ministry added.