Russia was blamed after missiles struck Poland in an escalation of the war in Ukraine that threatened to drag Nato allies into direct conflict with President Putin.
Two Polish citizens were killed in the attack on a farm in Przewodow, a village about four miles from Poland’s eastern border, as Russia subjected Ukraine to the heaviest night of bombardment since the invasion.
Two people died Tuesday afternoon after a projectile struck an area where grain was drying in Przewodów, a Polish village near the border with Ukraine, domestic media reported.
The Polish government raised its army’s level of readiness after Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called an emergency meeting of the country’s top national security and defence officials due to a “crisis situation”, according to government spokesman Piotr Mueller.
The government is also mulling whether to invoke NATO founding treaty’s Article 4, calling for a meeting of all NATO Member States after an ally’s territorial integrity or security has been breached.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen reacted on Twitter to the news of deaths in Poland after an explosion on Tuesday, saying she was “alarmed” by the reports.
“We are closely monitoring the situation and are in touch with Polish authorities and partners and allies,” she added.
Reacting to the news of at least two killed in an explosion in Poland near the border with Ukraine, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Kyiv “reaffirms its full solidarity with Poland and stands ready to provide any necessary support.
“Collective response to Russian actions must be tough and principled,” he said.
Kuleba went on to propose a NATO summit with Ukraine’s participation which will force Russia to change its course on escalation,” adding that Kyiv should be provided with “modern aircraft such as F-15 and F-16, as well as air defence systems.”
“Today, protecting Ukraine’s skies means protecting NATO,” he said in a series of tweets.
Ukraine is not a NATO member. It applied to join the alliance earlier in the war.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said it is “important all facts are established” after a conversation he had with Polish President Andrzej Duda this evening.
“NATO is “monitoring the situation and allies are closely consulting,” Stoltenberg added on Twitter.
The Polish government is raising its army’s readiness level, spokesman Piotr Mueller said at a press conference in Warsaw.
The government was also considering invoking Article 4 of the NATO founding treaty, calling for a meeting between all NATO member states after an ally’s territorial integrity or security has been breached.
Mueller confirmed two people were killed in the explosion in Przewodów.
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