Time.news – “An investigation into this incident is underway and we have to await the outcome. But we have no indication that it was the result of a deliberate attack. And we have no indication that Russia is preparing offensive military actions against NATO “. Clear words, pronounced by the NATO secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, after the meeting of the North Atlantic Council but above all after a long hectic night of summits and talks between Brussels, Bali (where the G20 leaders are) and Warsaw.
The missiles that landed in Poland, on the border with Ukraine, caused two deaths and kept the world in suspense. Never before have there been fears of a global escalation of the conflict between Kiev and Moscow with the direct involvement of NATO. “Our preliminary analysis suggests that the crash was likely caused by a Ukrainian air defense missile launched to defend Ukrainian territory against Russian missile attacks,” Stoltenberg explained before sending his message.
Important meeting of the #Ukraine Defense Contact Group hosted by @SecDef. #NATO Allies stand firm in supporting Ukraine’s right to self-defence against #Russia’s brutal aggression, including its strikes on civilian infrastructure. Russia must stop the war & end the suffering. pic.twitter.com/hcAMjVswWp
— Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) November 16, 2022
“I want to be clear: it’s not Ukraine’s fault. Russia bears the ultimate responsibility, as it continues its illegal war against Ukraine“. And the line that emerges is precisely that of “continuing support for Ukraine by providing more air defense systems” and, at the same time, not provoking the escalation. Ergo this cannot be a reason for establishing a no-fly zone.” The allies and NATO are not participating in the conflict in Ukraine. They provide support to Ukraine, for its right to self-defense,” the secretary general clarified.
“The Alliance and Poland have reacted in a calm, measured and well-coordinated manner. We have to understand that handling these types of incidents is partly about being firm and reacting quickly. But it is also about being calm and preventing unnecessary escalations. And we must always find that balance,” he explained.
Obviously this does not mean that NATO is unable to respond or react in time to any targeted attacks. “Last night I spoke with the Polish president, Andrzej Duda, and with the president of the United States, Joe Biden. We agreed that we must remain vigilant, calm and closely coordinated. We will continue to consult and monitor the situation very closely. NATO is united and we will always do what is necessary to protect and defend all allies”, assured the former Norwegian prime minister.
#NATO ambassadors met to address yesterday’s deadly explosion in #Poland. Allies expressed strong solidarity with our valued Ally Poland, and made clear that we will continue to support #Ukraine’s right to self-defence. We remain vigilant, calm & closely coordinated. pic.twitter.com/7LWd73xu6i
— Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) November 16, 2022
“Air defense systems are set up to defend us against attacks and ballistic missiles which we then track and monitor and then judge if it is an attack or if it is something else. Like I said, it was most likely an air defense missile and, of course, that missile doesn’t have the characteristics of an attack. And so that also explains why the actions were what they were. And that says nothing about our ability to defend ourselves against deliberate attacks against NATO territory,” he said. Stoltenberg.
In any case, the mobilization is constantly increasing, especially on the eastern flank. “More troops on the ground, in the field, but also with significant air and naval power. And this has obviously increased our air defense capabilities, but also our ability to monitor, of have a complete picture of what is happening at the border and we’re constantly evaluating what more we need to do.”
One sign is the fact that Poland has not requested the activation of article 4 of the Alliance, which provides for the confrontation between allies to monitor a threat to the territorial integrity of a member country. It usually precedes article 5, that of mutual assistance in defence. Stoltenberg’s conclusion is that in any case the fault lies with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, who “must stop this senseless war“.
“What we know for sure is that the whole incident is caused by Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine. So the best way to prevent something like this from happening again is for Russia to stop this war.”