While Americans were busy determining the results for the 2022 midterm elections in the United States, a missile that was not intended to be directed at Russia almost brought NATO into conflict with Russia.
Two people were killed in an explosion at a Ukrainian grain-processing plant. This occurred after a Russian missile attack on Ukraine. The Ukrainians responded with defensive missiles. The Polish Foreign Ministry confirmed that the missile was Russian-made shortly after it fell on the Polish agricultural establishment.
However, this was not a significant statement in a conflict between Russia & a post-Soviet nation. Ukraine has Soviet-era MiG-29s, as well as other Soviet-era weapons. Poland uses MiG-29s as part of a planned jet transfer program to Ukraine. However, the MiG-29s from Poland have been equipped with additional parts for NATO integration.
In spite of these facts, Polish authorities declared that the Russian missile was responsible for the strike, which could be considered the most reckless conjecture in the conflict. Poland suggested that it might invoke Article 4 from the NATO alliance’s Charter, which states that NATO members “will consult together whenever any of them believes that the territorial integrity, politics independence, or security of any Party is threatened.” This consultation process was designed to determine if Article 5 should be invoked in defense of the country in case of imminent danger.
Sometimes, Poland has shown restraint in its approach to Ukraine and Russia’s conflict. It rejected the Biden administration’s proposed jet transfer program. However, Poland’s history with Russia has contributed to the escalatory rhetoric coming out of Polish politicians and officials. Furthermore, Poland has been hyperactive within the European Union, NATO and the United Nations to sanction the Russians for invading Ukrainian territory.
Despite the missile explosion last week, Andrzej Duba, Polish president, was less certain than the country’s foreign ministry or other top officials. Duda stated that it was most likely a Russian-made ballistic missile, but this is still being investigated.
He said, “We don’t have any conclusive evidence right now as to who launched the missile.”
Despite all these unknowns, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine was quick to take advantage of the attack to get more support for Ukraine’s war against Russia. “Russian missiles struck Poland, the territory our friendly country. Zelensky stated that people were killed in a video address following the explosion.
“Russia will feel more impunity the longer it remains in power. This will increase the threat to all those who are within range of Russian missiles. To launch missiles at NATO territory This is a Russian missile strike on collective security! This is an extremely significant escalation. We must act,” Zelensky stated, calling for NATO’s Article 5 to be invoked.
Zelensky didn’t seem to be concerned about the possibility that this conflict would spiral out of control and turn into World War III or nuclear warfare. Zelensky believed that the Russian missile hitting Polish territory was a confirmation of Russia’s commitment to the conquest of Eastern Europe and the restoration and maintenance the Soviet empire. Zelensky declared, “Today happened the thing we had been warning about for a while: We told you that terror isn’t confined to our state boundaries.”
The explosion sent Western leaders reeling; many were in Bali at the time for the Group of Twenty summit, and they held an emergency meeting of NATO ally allies.
President Biden was then asked by the Russian ambassador if the missile was Russian. “There are preliminary evidence that challenges that. I won’t say anything until we have fully investigated. It is highly unlikely that the missile was fired from Russia, according to the trajectory,” Biden stated, although he didn’t elaborate on the origin of the missile.
Biden’s silence was enough to say what needed saying. It is common for two countries to fire missiles at each other, so it is likely that one is not responsible.
This was confirmed by Poland, who later confirmed that the Ukrainian S-300 air-defense ballistic missile had struck Poland. Even though a Ukrainian missile was able to kill two people within the borders Ukraine’s most vocal supporters of the cause, NATO and Poland did not seem to be able stop their seemingly endless support for the Ukrainian cause.
NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg tried to cover up the incident. He claimed that “this is not Ukraine’s fault.” “Russia is responsible for its illegal war against Ukraine,” he claimed. Duda provided cover for the Ukrainians and called the deaths of two Poles “unfortunate accidents.”
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The West’s latest attempt to provide cover for Ukrainians has sent a strong message to its beneficiary: there is nothing Zelensky or Ukraine could say to make Ukraine reconsider its support. However, Ukraine cannot lose its support if they don’t decide to seek a diplomatic resolution to the conflict.
Zelensky continued to fan the flames and deny that the rocket was Ukrainian-made. Zelensky stated to media members that he had no doubt that the rocket was not his. He also said that he believed that it was a Russian rocket based on reports from the Ukrainian military. The final assessment of Polish authorities was doubtful by the Ukrainian president, even though the initial suspicion was that the rocket was Russian. “Can we not draw the final conclusions?” Are we allowed to be part of the investigation team? Yes.
What does Zelensky claim Ukraine can have at this point? Money, arms.
