Poland on Tuesday increased the readiness of its military following reports that Russian missiles may have entered its borders, potentially leading to a significant escalation of the conflict in Ukraine.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, accused Russia of launching the missiles into Poland, but neither Warsaw nor Washington immediately confirmed this. Moscow also referred to the alleged strikes as “provocations” meant to heighten tensions.
The suspected two fatal attacks sparked global outrage, with French President Emmanuel Macron calling for talks at the G20 conference currently taking place in Indonesia and European Union chief Charles Michel expressing his horror.
“There has been a decision to raise the state of readiness of some combat units and other uniformed services,” spokesman Piotr Muller told reporters after the meeting in Warsaw.
Even if a cross-border strike is confirmed, the alliance’s response would probably be greatly impacted by whether it was accidental or intentional. Poland is safeguarded by NATO‘s commitment to collective defense, which is established in Article 5 of its founding treaty.
“Today Russian missiles hit Poland, the territory of an allied country. People died”, Zelensky said in an address to the nation, describing the alleged strikes as “a very significant escalation.”
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted to call for NATO members to convene an “immediate” summit.
According to a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Hungary, another NATO member that borders Ukraine, summoned its national defense council in response to the reports.
The reports followed Tuesday’s Russian missile attacks on towns across Ukraine, including Lviv near the Polish border, which Kyiv claimed caused the loss of electricity in seven million homes.
As world leaders met for a conference anticipated to address the situation in Ukraine, Zelensky claimed that Russia had launched 85 missiles at energy facilities throughout the country. He denounced the strikes as a “act of genocide” and a “cynical slap in the face” of the G20.
In response to the missiles fired at its neighbor, Moldova, which borders Ukraine, reported power outages and urged Moscow to “stop the destruction now.”
When unexpectedly visiting Kherson on Monday, Zelensky declared that Ukraine’s retaking the important southern city heralded “the beginning of the end of the war.”
While Washington said that the Russian strikes in Ukraine will “deepen the concerns among the G20 about the destabilizing consequences of Putin’s war,” he stated that “now is the time” to stop the conflict at the G20 summit on Bali on Tuesday.
Russia is once more attempting to damage vital infrastructure in Ukraine, according to White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
Ukraine military have been advancing farther south since September. The Kherson region’s regional capital was fully evacuated by Russia last week, allowing Ukrainian forces to retake the city.
