The leaders of NATO member countries and the G7 have issued a joint statement on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, where they have ratified their support and assistance to Poland to conduct an investigation into the missile strike on its territory that has claimed the lives of two people, all in the fear that it is an attack on a member country of the Atlantic Alliance.
«Today, the leaders of Canada, the European Commission, the European Council, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States met on the margins of the G20 Summit in Bali (…). We offer our full support and assistance with Poland’s ongoing investigation,» the world leaders said in a letter released by the White House.
Hours after Poland convened its security council following the explosion in a village near its border with Ukraine, the heads of state and government of different countries have agreed to remain «in close contact» to determine «appropriate next steps» as the investigation progresses.
However, those attending the emergency meeting also condemned the «barbaric missile attacks» that Russia perpetrated on Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure on Tuesday.
«We reaffirm our strong support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in the face of ongoing Russian aggression, as well as our continued readiness to hold Russia accountable for its brazen attacks on Ukrainian communities, even as the G20 meets to address the broader impacts of the war,» the joint communiqué wields.
In the midst of the G20 summit being held these days in Bali, the President of the United States, Joe Biden, has convened – at the suggestion of the European Union – an emergency meeting inviting the heads of state and government of the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Japan, as well as the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel.
In addition to Von der Leyen and Michel, the meeting was attended by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
In the meantime, Warsaw is studying the current conditions and whether the premises are in place to initiate procedures to invoke Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which provides for the convening of consultations between allies when a NATO member considers that its territorial integrity, security or political independence is threatened.
Since its creation, it has been invoked seven times, most recently in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24. At that time, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia requested consultations.
