The Security Council met in Poland – for reasons that have not yet been officially stated. The temporal connection with a suspected rocket impact in the east of the NATO country is striking. The situation at a glance.
The incident – should it have happened – fuels fears that Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine could escalate. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called the Security Council for an emergency meeting in the capital Warsaw on Tuesday evening. Two Russian rockets are said to have hit a village in eastern Poland beforehand, according to the local fire department, two people died. The incident has not yet been confirmed in this form.
The situation at a glance (Status: November 16, 12:55 a.m.):
What happened in eastern Poland?
The Polish government has confirmed the impact of a Russian-made missile on Polish territory. When the projectile hit the village of Przewodów near the border with Ukraine on Tuesday afternoon at 3.40 p.m., two Polish citizens were killed, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday night. The Russian ambassador in Warsaw was summoned to provide “immediate, detailed explanations” of the incident.
Polish media had previously reported that two rockets had hit a farm in the village of Przewodów in the east of the country. Photos from the scene showed a crater next to an overturned tractor trailer. The Pentagon in Washington said on Tuesday evening that it still had no information. “If we can provide an update, we will,” said a spokesman.
The village of Przewodów is only seven and a half kilometers from the border with Ukraine. According to Ukrainian sources, the Russian army attacked targets across Ukraine with dozens of rockets and cruise missiles on Tuesday, including in the west of the country.
How is Poland reacting?
Late on Tuesday evening, Polish government spokesman Piotr Müller said in Warsaw that Poland was putting some of its armed forces on increased alert. Investigations into the cause of the explosion were still ongoing. “We have decided to examine whether there are grounds for initiating Article 4 procedures of the North Atlantic Treaty,” he said. However, such a decision had not yet been made.
Article 4 of NATO provides for consultations with the member states if one of them sees the integrity of its territory, political independence or its own security threatened. Müller expressly did not speak of an attack on Poland. In the past there had always been fears that Russian missiles could accidentally land on Polish territory.
According to his chancellor, Polish President Andrzej Duda spoke to US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Details were not disclosed.
What does Russia say about the incident?
Through the state-controlled news agencies Ria Novosti and TASS, the Russian Defense Ministry denied any responsibility for the incident. Corresponding reports are a “provocation with the aim of further escalation,” it said. There have been no attacks by Russia on targets near the Polish-Ukrainian border.
And Ukraine?
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of firing rockets at Poland, causing a “very significant escalation”. “Today Russian missiles hit Poland, the territory of an allied country. People died. Please accept our condolences,” said Zelenskyy in his evening video address. According to the AFP news agency, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba denied allegations that a Ukrainian projectile had landed in Poland.
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How is NATO reacting?
NATO has called an emergency meeting at ambassadorial level for Wednesday. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will lead the deliberations of the NATO ambassadors “to discuss this tragic incident,” NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu announced late Tuesday evening. Stoltenberg had previously emphasized: “NATO is monitoring the situation and the alliance partners are coordinating closely.” Before reacting prematurely, “all facts must first be established”.
Apart from the terse communications from Warsaw and Washington and declarations of solidarity from other countries, the members of the western defense alliance initially held back from making any statements. “We are examining these reports and are coordinating closely with our ally, Poland,” a NATO official told the DPA.
Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the federal government is following the reports on the incident. “My thoughts are with Poland, our close ally and neighbor,” wrote the Green politician in English on Twitter. But she too held back with hasty blame.
In the past, the defense alliance had repeatedly made it clear that it did not want to take part in the war in Ukraine, which has been going on for nine months, with its own soldiers. Should it now turn out that the NATO country Poland was actually hit by Russian missiles, this attitude could be reconsidered.
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However: Even with a deliberate – and by no means proven – shelling of NATO territory, the alliance would not automatically occur. The North Atlantic Council, staffed by envoys from all member states, would first have to determine the attack on NATO territory, only then would mutual support take hold. In Germany, the Bundestag would also have to decide whether the Bundeswehr should participate in the defense of the alliance.
In any case, the clarification of the incident in Przewodów has to be carried out first – and that is only just beginning.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated several times since it was first published.
Sources: , News agencies DPA, AFP, AP, Ria Novosti, Tass
Source: Stern
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