Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is extending Canada’s mission to train Ukrainian soldiers until December 2023, as the international community grew concerned about a missile strike that killed two people in Poland.
“We call for calm and to look at exactly what happened before jumping to conclusions,” Trudeau said on the sidelines of the G20 in Indonesia on Wednesday.
“But it is certain that we would not be in this situation if Russia had not launched its war. »
Polish media reported that two people died on Tuesday afternoon after a projectile hit an area where grain was drying in Przewodów, a village near the border with Ukraine.
Three U.S. officials said preliminary assessments suggested the missile was fired by Ukrainian forces at an incoming Russian missile in a salvo against Ukrainian power infrastructure. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
US President Joe Biden said it was “unlikely” Russia fired the missile and promised to “make sure we find out exactly what happened”.
Polish President Andrzej Duda went further, saying there were no signs the blast was a deliberate attack.
Prime Minister Trudeau told reporters there should be an investigation into what happened, but he still pointed the finger at Russia for initiating the conflict. He was alongside his British counterpart, Rishi Sunak, who agreed with Mr. Trudeau.
“I think the right thing to do now is for everyone to calmly check out exactly what happened, get the facts together,” he said. Until we have a definitive answer, it’s appropriate for everyone to remain calm. »
MM. Trudeau and Sunak also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday.
“We have underlined the importance of a full investigation into what happened in Poland and we have made it clear that Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is ultimately responsible for this violence,” said Mr. Trudeau at a press conference.
The Prime Minister announced on Wednesday that a mission to train Ukrainian soldiers in the UK under what is known as Operation Unifier, which has been ongoing since 2015, will be extended until the end of 2023. The announcement comes just days after Canada pledged an additional $500 million to support Ukraine’s military.
Russia criticized from all sides
Earlier Wednesday, Mr. Trudeau had participated in a meeting with all the other leaders of the G7 as well as the Netherlands and Spain which are members of the NATO military alliance.
In a joint statement, the leaders said they “condemned the barbaric missile attacks Russia has perpetrated on Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure”.
The leaders reaffirmed their support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in the face of the ongoing Russian aggression, “as well as [leur] continued desire to hold Russia accountable for its brazen attacks on Ukrainian communities”.
The Polish government confirmed that its foreign minister had summoned the Russian ambassador on Tuesday and “demanded an immediate explanation”, in a statement shortly after Mr Zelensky called the missile strike “a very significant escalation”.
Polish President Andrzej Duda qualified his officials’ statement, later telling reporters that the missile was “most likely” Russian-made, but the information is still being verified and officials don’t know for sure. who shot him.
Ukraine, a former Soviet bloc country, retains stockpiles of Soviet and Russian-made weapons, including air defense missiles, and has also seized many other Russian weapons while repelling invading Kremlin forces.
The Associated Press reported on Tuesday, according to two sources including a US intelligence official, that Russian missiles had crossed Polish territory in a massive barrage that hit the Ukrainian power grid and knocked out power to a large part of Moldova.
Ukrainian air defenses worked hard against the Russian onslaught, including in the western region of Ukraine that borders Poland. The Ukrainian military said 77 of the more than 90 missiles fired were shot down, along with 11 drones.
The role of NATO
In Brussels, NATO countries met on Wednesday for emergency talks. There was no immediate evidence that Tuesday’s explosion was a deliberate and hostile attack on Poland. As the country is a member of NATO, this could implement the alliance’s provisions for a collective military response.
The NATO alliance was formed after World War II as a check against the Soviet Union and currently has 30 members spread across North America and Europe.
The cornerstone of its founding treaty, Article 5, states that any “armed attack” on one member constitutes an attack on all, and can trigger a self-defense response from allies en bloc.
It was unclear whether Tuesday’s events would fall into this category or if they could fall under Article 4, which states that member states can convene consultation with other members if they believe their security or independence are threatened.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement on Tuesday that he had spoken with Duda about the “explosion” in Poland.
On Wednesday, the Kremlin denounced Poland’s and other countries’ reaction to the incident, calling it “hysterical” and, in rare praise for a US leader, hailed the “restrained and far more professional” reaction. ” the United States.
“We witnessed another hysterical, frantic and Russophobic reaction that was not based on any real data,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
He added that “immediately, all the experts understood that it could not be a missile linked to the Russian armed forces”.