NATO reaction to Poland incident proves member states adopt 'impunity'

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The Washington-based Eurasia Center Executive Vice President Earl Rasmussen stated that the NATO response to the explosion on Polish soil close to the Ukrainian border shows that member states can act with impunity.

Two missiles reportedly fell on Polish soil on Tuesday night in the Lublin Voivodeship near the Ukrainian border, according to Polish media. Two people died as a result of the incident, according to reports. The Polish Foreign Ministry, however, claimed that only one allegedly Russian-made missile had landed on Polish soil.

Read next: Missiles that hit Poland 'likely caused' by Ukraine: NATO chief

At the time, Polish President Andrzej Duda said Warsaw did not possess any information about the origin of the missile, but the next day he revealed that it most likely belongs to Ukraine.

The Russian Defense Ministry added that no strikes by Russian forces were made on targets Tuesday near the Polish-Ukrainian border and that it was clear from the released images of the missile's debris that it was not a Russian missile.

Media reports of the alleged Russian origin of the missiles are a deliberate provocation aimed at escalating the situation around Ukraine, according to Moscow.  "It does show that certain member states have specific privileges than others and can act with impunity. Hence, the reaction or non-action to the internal terrorist attack on the pipelines and most likely with any actions following this missile strike by Ukraine in Poland," said Rasmussen, a retired Lieutenant Colonel with over 20 years in the US Army.

Read next: Media reports note that missile that hit Poland was fired by Ukraine

In spite of accusations against Russia in this incident, Rasmussen expressed his personal belief that the West was aware of the missile's origin. "NATO, as a result of tracking systems, most likely knew immediately that the strike inside of Poland was not a Russian missile and most likely Ukrainian. This includes officials from Poland and the Baltic States who immediately blindly started screaming for Article 4 or Article 5 actions against Russia," he said.

Additionally, he emphasized that the West, particularly mainstream media, and Ukraine will blame Russia in any case, saying that Kiev fired its defense missile because of Moscow’s attack. "The explanation is entirely unjustified and merely shows the Russo-phobic nature of current western political leadership," Rasmussen noted, adding that Russia clearly has no intent on attacking any NATO country.

The awaited #G20 summit is set to kick off tomorrow in #Bali, #Indonesia. pic.twitter.com/fwLawFHTrp

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US President Joe Biden called an emergency meeting on Wednesday morning of the G7 and NATO leaders participating in the G20 summit in Bali. Based on preliminary information, the meeting concluded that the missile that fell in Poland was not fired from Russia.

The Pentagon announced its intention to rely on facts, not speculation, in examining the missile incident. Moreover, until the necessary information is received, Washington will not support invoking Article 5 of the NATO Charter, according to which an armed attack on one NATO member state is considered an attack on all, Pentagon Spokesperson Patrick Ryder said.

Read next: Biden slams Zelensky's denial of missiles, 'That is not the evidence'