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The missile attack in Poland that killed two people on Tuesday happened only because of Vladimir Putin’s war, Rishi Sunak said today. Speaking at a press conference in Bali, the prime minister said the facts were “still being established” about the strike, but added: “We should all be clear. None of this would have happened had it not been for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “This is the harsh and unforgiving reality of Putin’s war.” Mr Sunak offered his “wholehearted support” to Poland and contacted the country’s president Andriy Duda earlier today. Poland is increasing the “readiness” of some military units and aerial surveillance. US officials meanwhile said the missile that hit Poland was fired by Ukrainian forces in an attempt to shoot down an incoming Russian missile. Earlier, Joe Biden said it seemed “unlikely” that the missile was launched from Russia. Russia has denied responsibility and called the reports “a deliberate provocation aimed at escalating the situation”.

Basic points

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Russia says the missile attack on Poland was caused by Ukrainian air defenses

Russia said the explosion in Poland on Tuesday was caused by a Ukrainian air defense missile and that the Russian strikes in Ukraine were no closer than 35 kilometers (22 miles) from the Polish border. Moscow said on Wednesday it had nothing to do with the blast, which killed two people. The Kremlin accused some Western countries, particularly Poland, of reacting “hysterically” to the incident, but said the United States and President Joe Biden had shown restraint. “Photos published on the evening of November 15 in Poland of debris found in the village of Przewodow are categorically recognized by Russian defense industry experts as evidence of an anti-aircraft guided missile of the S-300 air defense system of Ukraine. Air Force,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement. The images or identity could not be independently verified. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said some countries were making “baseless statements” about Russia’s involvement “without any idea of ​​what had happened.” “We are witnessing another hysterical, frantic Russophobic reaction, which was not based on real data,” Peskov told reporters. “Such a frantic reaction shows that there is never a need to rush to judgment, with statements that can escalate the situation. Especially in such critical moments,” he said. Peskov said Biden had shown “restraint” in his response to the blast. In his first comments on the incident, Biden said initial assessments showed it was unlikely the missile was fired from Russia. “Once again, I want to call you to pay attention to the rather restrained reaction of the Americans, which contrasts with the absolutely hysterical reaction of the Polish side and some other countries,” Peskov said. “Why did this happen? You should probably ask questions in Warsaw and ask Polish officials to be more restrained, more balanced and professional when talking about such sensitive and potentially dangerous issues.” Maryam Zakir-Hussain November 16, 2022 10:31 am 1668593584

G20 host Indonesia says war in Ukraine most discussed article of leaders’ statement

The war in Ukraine was the most discussed article in the statement of G20 leaders gathered for a summit this week, Indonesia’s president said on Wednesday, while urging all sides not to further escalate tensions. Joko Widodo, president of this year’s host country Indonesia, said the rocket explosions in Poland on Tuesday were regrettable. His American counterpart Joe Biden had said it was unlikely they came from Russia. Widodo added that the war had caused destruction and enormous human suffering and weighed on the global economic recovery. Maryam Zakir-Hussain November 16, 2022 10:13 am 1668592504

Russia to blame for ‘missile incidents’ – Ukrainian official

A senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that Russia is responsible for any “missile incidents” following the war in his country. Mykhailo Podolyak made his comments in a written statement after US President Joe Biden said the missile that killed two people in Poland was probably not fired by Russia. “In my opinion, it is necessary to stick to only one logic. The war was started and is being waged by Russia. Russia is mass attacking Ukraine with cruise missiles. Russia has turned the eastern part of the European continent into an unpredictable battlefield,” said Podolyak. “Intent, means of execution, risks, escalation – all this is only Russia. And there can be no other explanation for any missile incidents.” The two deaths occurred at a Polish grain facility near the Ukrainian border on Tuesday as Russia launched missile strikes across Ukraine. Podolyak said that “when an aggressor country launches a deliberate mass missile attack on the entire territory of a large country on the European continent with its outdated Soviet weapons (X-class missiles), sooner or later a tragedy occurs on the territories of other states as well. .” “In addition, Russian missiles or their fragments have fallen more than once in border zones. I don’t see the slightest point in departing from this simple logic – only Russia is guilty of threats and excesses to other countries with its missile attacks,” he said. Podolyak said separately on Twitter that it was time for Europe to “close the sky” over Ukraine, adding: “We don’t need to look for excuses and postpone key decisions.” Maryam Zakir-Hussain November 16, 2022 09:55 1668591604

Russia says its strikes in Ukraine were no closer than 35 kilometers from the Polish border

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that its strikes in Ukraine on November 15 were only 35 kilometers (22 miles) from the Polish border, the RIA news agency reported. The president of NATO-member Poland said earlier that Poland had no concrete evidence of who fired a missile that hit a Polish grain facility about 6 kilometers (4 miles) inside the border with Ukraine, killing two people. A NATO source said US President Joe Biden informed the G7 and NATO partners that the explosion in Poland was caused by a Ukrainian air defense missile. Maryam Zakir-Hussain 16 November 2022 09:40 1668590704

Putin’s “economic stranglehold” will plague the world for years to come, Sunak says

The prime minister accused the Russian president of causing a “global economic suffocation” in countries around the world. And he condemned Putin’s decision to launch a wave of around 80 missile strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine as world leaders met at the G20 summit in Indonesia, describing it as an act of “contempt” for the international community. In a press conference as the Bali summit drew to a close, Mr Sunak said the war in Ukraine would continue to pose a threat to the UK and its allies and was “destroying” the global economy as long as it continued. Our political editor Andrew Woodcock reports from Bali: Maryam Zakir-Hussain November 16, 2022 09:25 1668590104

In pictures: Missile attack site in Przewodow, Poland after a missile attack

A view of police officers next to the explosion sit on November 16, 2022 in Przewodow, Poland
(Getty Images)

Police officers check driver’s documents at a checkpoint as barely allowed cars are allowed into the blast zone (Getty Images) A police van patrols side streets next to the site of the rocket explosion (Getty Images) Maryam Zakir-Hussain 16 November 2022 09:15 1668589340

Adviser to Ukraine president: Russia responsible for any ‘missile incidents’

A senior adviser to Ukraine’s president said on Wednesday that Russia is responsible for any “missile incidents” following its invasion of his country. “In my opinion, it is necessary to stick to only one logic. The war was started and is being waged by Russia. Russia is massively attacking Ukraine with cruise missiles,” Mykhailo Podolyak said in a written statement after US President Joe Biden said the missile that killed two people in Poland was likely not fired by Russia. “Russia has turned the eastern part of the European continent into an unpredictable battlefield. Intent, means of execution, risks, escalation – all this is only Russia. And there can be no other explanation for any missile incidents.” Maryam Zakir-Hussain 16 November 2022 09:02 1668588134

Putin’s missile attack across country shows his ‘absolute contempt’ for G20 resolutions

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Russia’s missile attacks across Ukraine on Monday showed Vladimir Putin’s “total disregard” for G20 resolutions. “While other world leaders were cooperating, Putin was launching indiscriminate attacks on civilians in Ukraine,” Mr Sunak said. “This is the harsh and unforgiving reality of Putin’s war,” he added, which “poses a threat to our security and that of our allies.” Maryam Zakir-Hussain 16 November 2022 08:42 1668587777

Sunak says it’s important to ‘get the facts out’ about Poland missile attack

When asked about the missile strike in Poland which could cause the UK to go directly to war, the Prime Minister said it was important to “get the facts out”. Rishi Sunak pointed out that this conversation is happening at all because of Russia’s airstrikes in Ukraine on Monday. Maryam Zakir-Hussain 16 November 2022 08:36 1668587579

Sunak says he offers “wholehearted support” to Poland

Speaking at the G20 in Bali, Rishi Sunak said he offered his “wholehearted support” to Poland after Monday’s missile attacks. He said: “We must all be clear. None of this would have happened had it not been for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “This is the harsh and unforgiving reality of Putin…