Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attended an emergency meeting of G7 and NATO leaders called by U.S. President Joe Biden in Indonesia after Poland said it was investigating after what it called a Russian-made missile hit its territory and killed two people Tuesday.
Trudeau, who is with leaders in Bali for the G20 summit, tweeted that he was being briefed on the latest developments and he was sending his deepest condolences to the Polish people.
In a joint statement Wednesday, the leaders said they “condemn the barbaric missile attacks that Russia perpetrated on Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure.”
“We discussed the explosion that took place in the eastern part of Poland near the border with Ukraine. We offer our full support for and assistance with Poland’s ongoing investigation,” reads the statement.
“We agree to remain in close touch to determine appropriate next steps as the investigation proceeds.”
After the emergency meeting, Biden told reporters it was “unlikely” the missile had been fired from Russia, but that there was “total unanimity among the folks at the table” to support Poland’s probe of the attack.
Three U.S. officials said preliminary assessments suggested the missile was fired by Ukrainian forces at an incoming Russian one amid the crushing salvo against Ukraine’s electrical infrastructure Tuesday. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
The leaders reaffirmed their steadfast support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in the face of ongoing Russian aggression, “as well as our continued readiness to hold Russia accountable for its brazen attacks on Ukrainian communities.”
The Polish government confirmed that its foreign minister summoned the Russian ambassador on Tuesday and “demanded immediate explanations,” in a statement that came shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy decried the missile strike as a “very significant escalation.”
Polish President Andrzej Duda qualified his officials’ statement, telling reporters later that the missile was “most probably” Russian-made but that the information is still being verified and officials don’t know for sure who fired it.
Still, the country’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, said his government was investigating and raising its military preparedness, and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called an emergency meeting of the military alliance’s envoys to discuss the events.
The NATO alliance was formed after the Second World War as a check against the Soviet Union and currently has 30 members spread across North America and Europe.
The keystone of its founding treaty, Article 5, stipulates that any “armed attack” against one member constitutes an attack against all, and may trigger a self-defence response from allies as a bloc.
It was unclear whether Tuesday’s events would fall under that category, or if they may fall under Article 4, which says member states can convene a consultation with other members if they feel their security or independence are threatened.
Defence Minister Anita Anand had said earlier Tuesday that Canada was monitoring the situation. “I’m receiving updates regarding this report and very closely in touch with our Polish allies at this time. It would be imprudent for me to comment further,” Anand said on her way into the House of Commons before question period.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said in French that she did not have any specific comments to make but that she and other top officials were in touch with allies.
But Conservative defence critic James Bezan explicitly blamed the deaths in Poland on Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said on Twitter that his party condemns Putin for “the callous missile attacks” and “our deepest condolences go out to the people of Poland and Ukraine for the loss of their citizens.”
Russia’s Defence Ministry denied launching strikes in the area near the Ukrainian-Polish border and accused Polish media and officials of deliberately escalating the situation.
The Associated Press had reported earlier Tuesday, based on two sources including a U.S. intelligence official, that Russian missiles had crossed into Polish territory during a massive barrage that hit Ukraine’s power grid and cut electricity to much of Moldova.
Polish media reported that two people died Tuesday afternoon after a projectile struck an area where grain was drying in Przewodów, a village near the border with Ukraine.
Poland’s statements have not addressed the specific circumstances of the strike, including whether it could have been a targeting error or if the missile could have been knocked off course by Ukrainian missile defences.
The events heightened fears that the ongoing war in Ukraine will spill over into eastern Europe and spark a wider conflict between Russia and NATO, which has been supporting Ukraine with money and weapons but not troops.
Stoltenberg said in a statement he had spoken with Duda about “the explosion” in Poland. “I offered my condolences for the loss of life,” he added.
However, Stoltenberg also said that while the alliance is monitoring the situation and all allies are in close consultation with each other, it was “important that all facts are established.”
Biden spoke with both Stoltenberg and Duda on Tuesday after he was woken up during the night in Indonesia, where it was past midnight when the first reports emerged about Poland.
A readout of the call with Duda, released by the White House, says Biden “offered full U.S. support for and assistance with Poland’s investigation” of what was described as “the explosion.”
“President Biden reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to NATO,” the readout says. “The two leaders said that they and their teams should remain in close touch to determine appropriate next steps as the investigation proceeds.”
Vedant Patel, the deputy spokesman of the U.S. State Department, had said earlier Tuesday that “we do not want to get ahead of hypotheticals” and “we do not know what has happened yet.”
Zelenskyy quickly accused Russia of having fired missiles at Poland as he called yet again for NATO allies to step up their support for his country.
“Terror is not limited to our national borders. Russian missiles hit Poland,” Zelenskyy wrote in Ukrainian in a message posted on the social media site Telegram.
“To fire missiles at NATO territory, this is a Russian missile attack on collective security! This is a very significant escalation. We must act.”
Latvian Defence Minister Artis Pabriks, whose country is home to a 2,000-strong NATO force led by 700 Canadian troops, also blamed Russia.
“(The) criminal Russian regime fired missiles which target not only Ukrainian civilians but also landed on NATO territory in Poland,” Pabriks said on Twitter. “Latvia fully stands with Polish friends and condemns this crime.”
There are also 40 Canadian military engineers in Poland who are training Ukrainian forces.
