Polish President Andrzej Duda held telephone talks on Tuesday with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, both of whom showed their support for Poland following the recent accidental missile attack on a border town that claimed the lives of two people.
In particular, the British Premier reiterated the UK’s solidarity with Poland as a «close ally» and expressed his condolences for the victims and their families, according to a Downing Street statement.
In addition, Sunak has offered «all the necessary help» to urgently clarify what happened, after it has been known that the missiles that have hit Polish territory were of Russian manufacture.
The UK and Polish leaders agreed to remain «in close contact» and to continue coordinating with other international partners, including NATO allies, «on the next steps».
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has also expressed his condolences to Duda, following the missile strike in the town of Przewodow.
«Germany supports its NATO partner,» German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit wrote on the social network Twitter after the call between the leaders of Germany and Poland.
During the afternoon of Tuesday two people have died as a result of the impact of two missiles on Polish territory and Russian-made. So far, the origin of the projectiles is unknown, although some Baltic countries and even Ukraine have already pointed the finger at Moscow, suggesting a collective NATO response under Article 5.
NATO’s mutual defense clause states that an attack against one or more NATO members is considered an attack against all allies. To date it has only been invoked on one occasion, following the September 11 terrorist attacks.
The incident comes on a day when Russia has launched a new wave of attacks on the western territory of Ukraine. Kiev, Lviv and many other cities have been the scene of Russian offensives, mainly targeting energy infrastructures.
