Biden reaffirms U.S. commitment to NATO after missiles hit Poland
U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday reaffirmed the United States’ “ironclad” defense commitment to members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization following reports that missiles had landed in Poland amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Russian missiles apparently crossed into Polish territory and killed two people, as Russia pounded Ukrainian energy facilities Tuesday with its biggest missile barrage yet, according to a senior U.S. intelligence official.
During a phone call with Polish President Andrzej Duda, Biden offered “full U.S. support” for and assistance with Poland’s investigation into the blasts, the White House said in a press release.
“President Biden reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to NATO,” it added.
Biden is currently on the Indonesian resort island of Bali for a two-day summit of the Group of 20 major economies that will wrap up later in the day.
The two leaders agreed that their countries should remain in close touch to determine “appropriate next steps” as the investigation proceeds, the White House said.
In Moscow, the Defense Ministry dismissed as a “deliberate provocation” media reports in Poland that Russian missiles had hit the country’s territory, adding the Russian military had not performed strikes targeting the Ukrainian-Polish border zone.
The Biden administration has provided security assistance to help Kyiv defend itself against Russia’s aggression, while refusing to put U.S. troops on the ground in Ukraine amid fears it could be drawn into direct conflict with nuclear-armed Russia.
But Washington has vowed to defend “every single inch” of NATO territory based on the principle of collective defense, meaning an attack on any member of the alliance is considered an attack on the alliance as a whole.