Photo: SAUL LOEB / AFP / Getty Images
President Joe Biden said that he and the leaders of eight allied countries agreed during an emergency meeting held in Bali, Indonesia, that they will support the investigation of Poland about the explosion that killed two people near the Ukrainian border on Tuesday and will wait for more information before determining their next steps.
According to the White House, the countries represented at the meeting were Canada, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States, along with the European Union.
Biden left the emergency meeting held during his last day at the G Summit 04 in Indonesia and vowed to “find out exactly what happened” after a Russian-made missile fell inside the borders of Poland, a NATO ally.
“Agree We support Poland’s investigations into the explosion in rural Poland near the Ukrainian border and we will make sure to find out exactly what happened,” Biden told reporters, adding: “Then we will collectively determine the next step while we investigate.”
The talks came after the Polish Foreign Ministry said Tuesday night that the “Russian-made missile” fell over the village of Przewodów. The ministry statement did not specify the type of missile, who fired it or where it was fired from. Biden previously spoke with the President of Poland and the Secretary General of NATO.
President Biden called Polish President Andrzej Duda early Wednesday to express his “deep condolences” for the loss of life.
Biden promised on Twitter “the full support and assistance of the United States for the investigation of Poland” and “reaffirmed the iron commitment of the United States to NATO”.
The basis of the NATO alliance, of which Poland is a member, is the principle that an attack against one member is an attack against all, which makes the source of the missile launch critical in determining next steps.
Polish President Andrzej Duda said in a tweet that he spoke with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and verified “the premises of Article 4”, which allows NATO member countries to submit concerns. ations for your discussion.
Biden also said the leaders condemned “the latest series of Russian missile attacks,” referring to confirmed Russian strikes in recent days that targeted Ukraine’s power grid and caused widespread blackouts.
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