Missile that landed in Poland 'came' from Ukraine, but US says 'Russia bears ultimate responsibility'

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The Western leaders have admitted that the deadly missile that landed in Poland came from Ukraine, not Russia. Their statements have eased the tensions, which could have ended up as a major escalation, involving NATO nations and Russia.

Russia claimed that it was a Ukrainian S-300 missile that landed in Poland, killing two people. Moscow also said that its nearest strike on Ukraine was 35 kilometres from the Polish border.

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Even Poland’s President Andrzej Duda noted that there is no evidence a missile was an "intentional attack", and it was most likely an accident.

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Fears of a full-scale war have been averted but Ukraine has denied the reports and blamed Russia for the incident. Kyiv further demanded "immediate access" to the blast site for investigation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also said that the missile was Russian."I have no doubt that this is not our missile. I believe that this was a Russian missile, based on our military reports,"Zelensky said in televised remarks on Wednesday evening.

On one hand, Russia has clarified that it has nothing to do with the missile incident in Poland, but the United States said that Russia "bears ultimate responsibility".

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin suggested on Wednesday that Russia is ultimately responsible for the blast as Moscow's forces target Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure.

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Blame on Russia

In a virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, Austin said: "We'll continue to work closely with our ally Poland and others to gather more information, and we'll continue to consult closely with our NATO allies and our valued partners."

"What we do know is the context in which this is unfolding. Russia is facing setback after setback on the battlefield, and Russia is putting Ukrainian civilians and civilian infrastructure in its gunsights," he added.

Austin opened the virtual meet of the group that is comprised of dozens of countries that back Kyiv.

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly also said that the Poland blast is a "result of Russia's aggression" in Ukraine and the conflict which was "the only reason why it has happened".

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg was certainly more direct in blaming Russia. He said that "this is not Ukraine's fault." After chairing a meeting of NATO ambassadors, Stoltenberg said that "Russia bears ultimate responsibility as it continues its illegal war against Ukraine."

Reports have also noted that the explosion in eastern Poland came after Russia launched dozens of missile strikes across Ukraine on Tuesday. In the aftermath, Kyiv said led to power outages for millions of people.

WATCH |WION Dispatch: Poland missile strike: NATO says blast likely by Ukrainian missile

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