US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin suggested Wednesday that Russia was ultimately responsible for the deadly explosion in Poland, which he said occurred as Moscow forces attacked civilians and infrastructure in Ukraine.
Initial reports blamed Russian missiles for the explosion that killed two people, creating a major escalation fear in the Ukrainian conflict. However, Poland later claimed that the outbreak was probably caused by a stray surface-to-air missile fired by Kyiv forces.
“We will continue to work closely with our ally Poland and others to gather more information, and we will continue to engage in close consultation with our NATO allies and valued partners,” said Austin, who opened a virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defense Liaison Group. It consists of dozens of countries that support Kiev.
“We know the context in which this happened. Russia is facing one failure after another on the battlefield and is targeting Ukrainian civilians and civilian infrastructure,” he added.
Jens Stoltenberg, head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), who was supposed to attend the meeting, was more direct in blaming Russia.
“This is not Ukraine’s fault. Russia bears ultimate responsibility as it continues its illegal war against Ukraine,” he said after chairing a meeting of Atlantic Alliance ambassadors.
The explosion in eastern Poland came after Russia launched dozens of missile strikes in Ukraine on Tuesday. According to Kiev, the bombing left millions without electricity.
Building multi-layered air defenses to protect against such attacks is a key goal for Ukraine’s allies, which have supplied Kiev with a large number of missile systems.
Austin reported today that the advanced NASAMS systems sent by Washington are working in Ukraine.
“Our NASAMS air defense systems are now operational and have a 100% success rate in intercepting Russian missiles as the Kremlin continues to relentlessly bombard Ukraine, including yesterday’s attacks.”
source: Noticias
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.