Polish President and NATO Chief Hold Consecutive Emergency Calls with President Biden

Discussion on NATO Response Issue... Confirming Whether Russia is Responsible
Ukraine "Russia's Conspiracy Theory That Ukrainian Missile Fell"

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Polish President Andrzej Duda held emergency calls consecutively with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and President Joe Biden to discuss NATO's response to the missile explosion incident that occurred near the border area. As suspicions arose that the missile was launched from Russia, controversy is expected over the potential activation of Article 5 of the NATO Charter, the collective defense clause.

According to CNN on the 15th (local time), President Duda held an emergency call with Secretary General Stoltenberg to discuss response measures related to the explosion incident in Przewod?w, Poland, near the border with Ukraine, where two missiles fell and two people died.

After the call, Secretary General Stoltenberg stated on his Twitter, "I had a call with President Duda regarding the explosion, and NATO is monitoring the situation closely and consulting with allies," adding, "It is important to establish all the facts first," expressing a cautious stance.

Following the call with Secretary General Stoltenberg, President Duda also held an emergency call with U.S. President Biden. According to Germany's Deutsche Welle (DW), the Polish presidential office announced, "A phone call took place between the presidents of the United States and Poland." It is known that President Biden called President Duda shortly after Poland announced an increase in military alert status.

As local Polish media and major foreign news outlets continue reporting that the missile was launched from Russia, debate is expected to persist over whether NATO's collective response is necessary.

The U.S. government has maintained a cautious position. Pentagon spokesperson Patrick Ryder stated at a press briefing that day, "We have seen media reports that two Russian missiles struck near the Ukraine border in Poland, but we currently have no information to confirm this, and the matter requires further investigation," indicating no confirmed information yet. The Polish government has also neither confirmed nor denied reports of Russian missile launches.

The Russian Ministry of Defense immediately denied reports attributing the incident to them. In a statement that day, the Russian Ministry of Defense called it a "deliberate provocation to escalate the situation," asserting, "No attack was carried out on targets near the Polish border."

The Ukrainian government accused Russia of fabricating conspiracy theories by claiming the missile was theirs. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba pointed out on Twitter, "Russia is now spreading conspiracy theories that the missile that fell on Polish territory was a Ukrainian air defense missile."

If it is confirmed that the missile attack was carried out by Russia, it is perceived that Article 5 of the NATO Charter, the collective defense clause, could be activated, raising concerns that the Ukraine war could escalate into a full-scale conflict between NATO and Russia. The only time Article 5 has been activated was after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, when the U.S. and NATO forces attacked Afghanistan, and it has never been activated since.