βNo indicationβ that Russia plans to attack NATO β Stoltenberg
The head of the US-led alliance said a Ukrainian anti-air missile likely hit Polish territory
Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a press conference at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, November 16, 2022 Β© AP / Olivier Matthys
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters on Wednesday that the alliance sees
βno indicationβ that Russia is preparing
βoffensive military actionsβ against it. While Kiev accused Russia of launching a missile strike on Poland, Stoltenberg said the missile was likely Ukrainian.
Speaking after a meeting of NATOβs North Atlantic Council, Stoltenberg said the explosion that killed two people near the Polish village of Przewowdow on Tuesday
βwas likely caused by a Ukrainian air defense missile.β
βWe have no indication that Russia is preparing offensive military actions against NATO,β he added.
The explosion was instantly blamed on Russia by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, who called it a
βRussian attack on the collective securityβ of NATO, of which Poland is a member.
However, US President Joe Biden said this explanation was
βunlikely,β and Polish President Andrzej Duda opted not to call for urgent consultations under Article 4 of the NATO Treaty, describing the explosion as an
βunfortunate accidentβ likely caused by a Ukrainian missile.