By SEUNG MIN KIM and ZEKE MILLER (Associated Press)
NUSA DUA, Indonesia (AP) — President Joe Biden stated Wednesday it was “unlikely” {that a} missile that killed two in NATO-ally Poland was fired from Russia, however he pledged help for Poland’s investigation into what it had known as a “Russian-made” missile.
Biden spoke after he convened an “emergency” assembly of the Group of Seven and NATO leaders in Indonesia Wednesday morning for consultations on the assault that killed two individuals within the jap a part of Poland close to the Ukraine border.
“There is preliminary information that contests that,” Biden advised reporters when requested if the missile had been fired from Russia. “It is unlikely in the lines of the trajectory that it was fired from Russia, but we’ll see.”
It was not instantly clear whether or not Biden was suggesting that the missile hadn’t been fired by Russia in any respect. Ukraine nonetheless maintains shares of former Soviet and Russian-made weaponry, together with the S-300 air-defense missile system.
The president, who was woke up in a single day by workers with the information of the missile explosion whereas in Indonesia for the Group of 20 summit, known as Polish President Andrzej Duda early Wednesday to specific his “deep condolences” for the lack of life. Biden promised on Twitter “full U.S support for and assistance with Poland’s investigation,” and “reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to NATO.”
Biden stated that he briefed the allies on his conversations with Duda and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and that there was “Total unanimity among the folks at the table” to help Poland’s investigation into the assault.
“I’m going to make sure we find out exactly what happened,” Biden stated. “And then we’re going to collectively determine our next step as we investigate.”
Meeting at a big spherical desk in a ballroom in his resort, the U.S. president hosted the leaders of the G-7, which incorporates Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the European Union, together with the president of the European Council and the prime ministers of NATO allies Spain and the Netherlands.
A press release from the Polish Foreign Ministry recognized the missile as being made in Russia. But Poland’s president, Duda, was extra cautious about its origin, saying that officers didn’t know for certain who fired it or the place it was made. He stated it was “most probably” Russian-made, however that’s being nonetheless verified. If confirmed, it will be the primary time for the reason that invasion of Ukraine {that a} Russian weapon got here down on a NATO nation.
The basis of the NATO alliance is the precept that an assault in opposition to one member is an assault on all of them, making the supply of the missile launch vital for figuring out subsequent steps.
Biden additionally stated the leaders condemned “the latest series of Russian missile attacks,” referring to the confirmed Russian strikes in current days which have focused Ukraine’s energy grid and triggered widespread blackouts.
“The moment when the world came together at the G-20 to urge de-escalation, Russia continues to escalate in Ukraine, while we’re meeting,” Biden stated. “There were scores and scores of missile attacks in western Ukraine.”
Biden and his allies had got down to isolate Russia on the G-20 summit and the group’s closing communique was anticipated to indicate that “most” of the nations within the G-20 condemn Russia’s invasion.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”