Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced that he is completely sure the missile that hit Poland and killed two people was not fired by Ukrainian armed forces, BBC informs.
Ukrainian army’s top commanders assured him it was not one of their missiles. The president requested letting Ukrainian officials participate in the investigation and be provided with access to the explosion site. These comments came from Ukraine after NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reported that the missile was likely fired by Ukrainian armed forces. «But the main message is that Russia bears the ultimate responsibility, because this would not have happened hadn’t Russia waged a brutal war of aggression against Ukraine,» Stoltenberg told BBC. He added that NATO must supply Ukraine with better anti-air defence systems.
Polish President Andrzej Duda announced on Wednesday, 16 November: «From the information that we and our allies have, it was an S-300 rocket made in the Soviet Union, an old rocket and there is no evidence that it was launched by the Russian side».
U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, too, says Russia carries full responsibility.
«While we still don’t know all the facts, we do know one thing – this tragedy would never have happened but for Russia’s needless invasion of Ukraine and its recent missile assaults against Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure.»
»The UN Charter is clear. Ukraine has every right to defend itself against this barrage,» she said.
Representatives of the U.S. army believe Ukraine is unlikely to win any time soon. However, recent accomplishments may open the way for political negotiations and solutions. Ukraine demands Russia to withdraw its forces from the country, nuclear security guarantees, reparations and justice. Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov, on the other hand, said these demands are «inadequate and unrealistic».
More on this topic: US: Missile that struck Poland probably is not from Russia