Alex Wong | Getty Images US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley spoke by phone with his Polish counterpart Chief of Staff General Rajmund Andrzejczak. The call between the two came hours after reports that a missile had crossed the Polish border, killing two people. “The two leaders discussed Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and the loss of life near the Polish border and agreed to stay in touch as the investigation progresses,” according to a Pentagon statement on the call. Milley also spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Armed Forces General Valery Zaluzhny in a separate call. “They discussed the unprovoked and ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and exchanged perspectives and assessments. The president reaffirmed unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” according to a Pentagon statement on the call. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also spoke with Polish Vice President and Minister of National Defense Mariusz Błaszczak to discuss the current security situation on NATO’s eastern flank. Austin assured Błaszczak of the “ironclad commitment of the United States to defend Poland and the readiness of the Department of Defense to assist Poland in any investigation of the incident.” Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Antony Blinken spoke to Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in separate calls. — Amanda Macias
Russia bans entry to Irish PM and 51 others
Dublin, Ireland.
2c Image | Getty Images
Russia announced on Wednesday it was barring entry to 52 Irish politicians, including Prime Minister Micheal Martin, accusing Dublin of conducting an “aggressive anti-Russian propaganda campaign”.
The ban – including Deputy Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, the foreign, justice and finance ministers and several MPs – was the latest in a barrage of symbolic moves by Russia against prominent Western figures who have condemned its war in Ukraine.
Prime Minister Martin, who was told of the sanctions while speaking in parliament, said it was a new development and “I don’t think I’ve ever been sanctioned before”.
He said the sanctions were “part of a wider propaganda war being waged by Russia” and said “calm is always required in situations like this”.
As a member of the European Union, Ireland has sanctioned Russia over its February 24 invasion and the two countries have expelled each other’s diplomats.
Moscow also apologized in March after a man drove a truck through the gates of its embassy in Dublin to protest the war.
— Reuters
Ukrainian official says Kyiv wants ‘joint study’ and to see evidence of Poland’s missile attack
Ukraine has asked to see the evidence on which NATO based its assessment that a missile attack in Poland that killed two people was likely caused by Ukrainian air defenses trying to defend against a barrage of Russian missile attacks. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg insisted, however, that the strike was not a deliberate attack and that Ukraine was not responsible. “Let me be clear, it is not Ukraine’s fault. Russia bears the ultimate responsibility as it continues its illegal war against Ukraine,” Stoltenberg told a news conference. Following NATO’s comments, Oleksii Danilov, head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, tweeted that Kyiv favored a “joint study” of the incident and wanted to see what evidence its allies have that suggests is involved. Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov addresses the media in Kyiv, Ukraine on February 23, 2022. Presidential Press Service of Ukraine | Reuters Danilov said on Twitter that Ukraine was “ready to hand over the evidence of Russian traces that we have,” but that Kyiv was still waiting for “information from our partners, which concluded that this is a Ukrainian air defense missile.” .” He added that Ukraine requested that Defense Ministry and border guard officials be given immediate access to the site of the explosion. — Holly Elliott
NATO says Poland blast likely caused by Ukrainian missile, but not blaming Ukraine
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg holds a closing press conference during the second of two days of defense ministers’ meetings at NATO headquarters on October 13, 2022 in Brussels, Belgium. Omar Havana | Getty Images NATO said there was no evidence that a missile attack that hit a Polish border village on Tuesday night was deliberate, saying Russia was ultimately to blame as it continued to bombard Ukraine with missiles. The military alliance’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the missile incident took place “as Russia launched a massive wave of rocket attacks across Ukraine.” While the investigation into the incident continued, he said there was “no evidence that it was the result of a deliberate attack” and no indication that it was the result of “offensive military actions against NATO”. Preliminary analysis, as previously reported, suggests the incident was caused by a Ukrainian air defense missile fired to intercept a Russian missile. “Let me be clear, it is not Ukraine’s fault. Russia bears the ultimate responsibility as it continues its war against Ukraine,” he said.
Poland’s president says missile attack does not appear to be intentional
Polish President Andrzej Duda said there was no evidence a missile attack on a village on the Polish-Ukrainian border was deliberate as details emerged suggesting the strike was the result of Ukrainian forces intercepting a Russian missile. “We are in direct contact with our NATO allies. I stress — we have no circumstantial evidence that would allow us to conclude that this was an attack on Poland,” the president’s office tweeted Wednesday, citing Duda’s comments. Polish President Andrzej Duda visits Borodyanka, as Russia’s offensive on Ukraine continues, in the Kiev region, Ukraine, April 13, 2022. The photo was taken on April 13, 2022. Polish Presidency | Reuters “There is no indication that it was a deliberate attack on Poland. Most likely, it was a Russian-made S-300 missile. We have no evidence at this time that it was a missile launched from the Russian side,” he added. “There are many indications that it was an air defense missile, which unfortunately fell on Polish soil.” Poland has been a staunch ally of Ukraine during the Russian invasion, providing arms to Ukraine as well as distributing military and humanitarian supplies from other allies in Kyiv. — Holly Elliott
Belgium says evidence suggests Ukraine fired a missile that hit Poland
Belgium’s defense minister is the latest official to suggest current evidence points to Ukrainian forces being behind a missile attack that hit Polish soil on Tuesday night. “Based on current information, the strikes in Poland appear to be the result of Ukrainian air defenses,” Ludivine Dedonder said on Twitter on Wednesday. “Parts of Russian missiles and a Ukrainian interceptor are said to have landed in Poland,” he added. Investigations are continuing into the rocket incident on the Polish border that killed two people. NATO members are also due to meet in Brussels on Wednesday to discuss the issue. Ukraine’s defense ministry has responded cautiously to several reports that its own armed forces fired the missile, saying the issue is “very sensitive” as more details emerge. — Holly Elliott
Russian Defense Ministry Criticizes Ukraine, Says Moscow Missiles Hit Their Targets
Russia’s defense ministry laid the blame for Poland’s missile attack at Ukraine’s door on Wednesday, claiming all of Moscow’s missiles hit their targets during a massive airstrike in the country yesterday that knocked out a significant part of its energy infrastructure. The ministry said the Russian armed forces yesterday launched “a massive high-precision long-range air- and sea-based weapon against Ukraine’s military command and control system and related energy facilities,” adding that “all the missiles fired hit precisely to their destination. targets”. Addressing the missile that hit Polish territory on Tuesday, which initial reports suggested could have been fired by Ukrainian forces, Russia again said it was not responsible. “We want to emphasize that high-precision strikes were carried out only on the territory of Ukraine and at a distance no closer than 35 kilometers from the Ukrainian-Polish border.” Polish security forces are investigating the village of Przewodow near the Ukrainian border, where two Poles were killed in a suspected missile attack. Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images It said photos of debris found in the village of Przewodow where the missile struck, killing two people, were identified by Russian defense experts “as evidence of an anti-aircraft guided missile of the S-300 air defense system of the Ukrainian Air Force.” Similar assessments appear to have been made by Western officials with media agencies citing defense personnel as saying initial reports suggested Ukrainian forces fired the missile. Russia’s defense ministry later denied it had targeted Kyiv yesterday, saying the hits on residential buildings were “a direct consequence of the fall and self-destruction of anti-aircraft missiles fired by Ukrainian troops from Ukrainian and foreign air defense systems located within city”. “We also want to emphasize that – during the mass attack on November 15 with high-precision weapons against objects on the territory of Ukraine – not a single missile attack was carried out against objects in the city of Kyiv,” the ministry asserted. — Holly Elliott
