Trouble in the air: US demands more caution from allies
3 Min Read
A Politico report citing officials says Washington and Ukraine might witness more disagreements if the fight continues through winter.
-
US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
According to a report published by Politico on Friday, the United States has warned its European Union allies and the team working for Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to carefully asses their statements regarding the Poland missile incident, officials from the US and the EU disclosed to the media outlet.
The report also stated that NATO members were urged by US senior officials against giving definitive statements until the end of the official investigation, adding that this is the first significant inconsistent approach to appear between the US and Ukraine.
Read more: Kiev executes 39 pro-Russian activists in Kherson - reports
A US official disclosed to the news outlet that the event was considered to be a "really important test run" for Washington and its allies, including Kiev.
It is assumed, according to Politico, that as the winter looms in, and in case the fighting in Ukraine continues, there might arise further disputes between Kiev and Washington, amid fears that Moscow will exploit them.
Missiles fell on Polish soil on Tuesday night in the Lublin Voivodeship near the Ukrainian border where two people died as a result of the incident.
Read more: Russia criticizes Hague court as 'selective' over MH17 plane case
Initial investigation indicated, according to the Associated Press, citing US sources, that the missile launch that impacted Poland was done by Ukrainian forces in response to an alleged inbound Russian missile.
According to Reuters, US President Joe Biden stated that the missile that killed two in Poland was not fired by Russia.
Zelensky stated in his nightly address that "Russian missiles hit Poland" about an hour after the news of the incident first broke. He described it as "a very significant escalation" that necessitated a response. He was trying to initiate a war.
In response to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's denial that Ukrainian missiles were fired toward Poland, US President Joe Biden said, "That is not the evidence," according to a statement released by the White House press pool on Thursday.
Read more: 'Israel' pressured to deliver millions in strategic materials to Kiev
One day following reports about the missiles that fell in the Polish village of Przewodów, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stated that the explosion that hit Poland was "likely caused" by a Ukrainian air defense missile.
The Russian Defense Ministry quickly dismissed Poland's statements about "Russian missiles", saying they were a deliberate provocation to try and escalate the situation.
According to Moscow's Defense Ministry, no strikes were carried out by Russian means near the Ukrainian-Polish border.
