White House: Russia 'Ultimately Responsible' for Poland Missile Strike

The Biden administration blamed Russia for the missile strike in Poland this week, regardless of from where the explosive came.

Poland's President Andrzej Duda on Wednesday said the missile that hit his country and killed two people was probably a Ukrainian air defense missile, and there was no evidence to suggest the incident was an intentional attack by Russia.

Still, the White House maintains Russia is at fault because President Vladimir Putin's country forced Ukraine to defend itself.

"Whatever the final conclusions may be, it is clear that the party ultimately responsible for this tragic incident is Russia, which launched a barrage of missiles on Ukraine specifically intended to target civilian infrastructure. Ukraine had — and has — every right to defend itself," National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement.

Watson added that White House officials had not seen anything that could contradict the assessment that the explosion was a result of a Ukrainian missile.

"We will continue to assess and share any new information transparently as it becomes available. We will also continue to stay in close touch with the Ukrainians regarding any information they have to fill out the picture," Watson said.

In Indonesia on Wednesday, President Joe Biden said, "it's unlikely, in the minds of the trajectory, that it was fired from Russia."

Poland and NATO both have said that the missile strike wasn't a Russian attack.

The Associated Press reported Tuesday that a senior U.S. intelligence official said Russian missiles crossed into NATO member Poland, killing two people.

The missile struck a grain silo in a Polish village about 15 miles from the Ukraine border. The strike spurred fears that it could signal an escalation of Russia's war in Ukraine.

The incident in Poland, a NATO country, prompted ambassadors from the U.S.-led military alliance to hold an emergency meeting in Brussels on Wednesday.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said there was "no indication the incident was the result of a deliberate attack, and we have no indication that Russia is preparing offensive military actions against NATO."

"Our preliminary analysis suggests that the incident was likely caused by the Ukrainian air defense missile fired to defend Ukrainian territory against Russian cruise missile attacks," Stoltenberg said. "But let me be clear, this is not Ukraine's fault. Russia bears ultimate responsibility, as it continues its illegal war against Ukraine."

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