Ukraine Latest: Biden Says Missile Likely Not Fired From Russia

(Bloomberg) -- President Joe Biden said a rocket that struck a village in Poland near the Ukraine border was unlikely to have been fired from Russia, comments that may limit the risk of a major escalation in tensions over the incident.

NATO said it would hold an emergency meeting of its ambassadors on Wednesday to discuss the events in Poland. Polish President Andrzej Duda told reporters in Warsaw that it wasn’t clear who launched the missile.

Ukraine was hit by a barrage of missiles hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia must accept his country’s borders and withdraw its troops for peace talks to take place. “If Russia says that it wants to end this war, or so it says, it must prove it with deeds,” Zelenskiy said in an address to the G-20. 

Key Developments

• Biden Says Unlikely Rocket That Hit Poland Was Fired From Russia
• Lethal Blasts in Poland Rattle NATO as Russia Hits Ukraine
• Explosion in Poland Near Border With Ukraine: NATO’s Next Steps
• Ukraine Hit by Missile Strikes as Zelenskiy Makes Demands
• Russia Poised to Agree on Extending Black Sea Grain Deal 
• Even Hardest Hit Ukraine Steelmaker Doesn’t Want Peace Deal Yet
• Russia Brings Its Food Security Misinformation to the G-20

(See RSAN on the Bloomberg Terminal for the Russian Sanctions Dashboard.)

On the Ground

Russian troops who withdrew from the southern region of Kherson are being redeployed to areas in neighboring Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine’s regional military administration chief Oleksandr Starukh said. Russian forces in Nova Kakhovka in the occupied part of Kherson region east of the Dnipro River have withdrawn because of Ukrainian shelling, Russia’s Tass news agency reported on Telegram. Russian troops are trying to hold onto captured territories and continue to equip defensive lines along the Dnipro. “The enemy hasn’t stopped shelling Ukrainian army positions as well as civilian areas, violating the norms of international humanitarian law and customs of war,” the Ukrainian General Staff said in a statement. 

(All times CET)

Missile Likely Not Fired From Russia, Biden Says (4:10 a.m.)

Asked if the missile that struck a village in Poland on Tuesday had been fired from Russia, Biden said that “there is preliminary information that contests that.” Given the trajectory of the rocket it was unlikely it was launched from Russia, he added, “but we’ll see.” The president spoke to reporters in Bali, where he is attending the Group of 20 summit.

One official from a Group of Seven country said it was possible that Russia’s military missed an intended target from inside Ukraine, or that a Ukrainian countermeasure knocked the rocket off course. There would be little incentive for Russia to deliberately strike Poland, the person said, given the risk of a NATO response.

Two people were killed when the missile landed in Poland about 6 kilometers (4 miles) from the border with Ukraine.   

Poland Says It’s Not Clear Who Launched Missile (1:20 a.m.)

Duda told a news conference in Warsaw late Tuesday night that it wasn’t yet clear who launched a missile that caused an explosion that killed two people in a village near its border with Ukraine. 

Poland, Duda added, was highly likely as early as Wednesday to invoke what is known as Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization charter, which would kick off a discussion within the military alliance before any potential response.

Russia’s Defense Ministry denied its forces had aimed missiles at targets near Ukraine’s border with Poland. 

Poland Says Russian-Made Missile Hit Border Region (12:37 a.m.)

A Russian-made missile landed on a village in Poland near the border with Ukraine on Tuesday, killing two people, Poland’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on its website late Tuesday night.

The ministry said it had summoned Russia’s ambassador to demand an explanation.

NATO Will Hold Emergency Meeting on Wednesday (12:30 a.m.)

NATO said it would hold an emergency meeting of its envoys on Wednesday to discuss the explosions in Poland. A meeting had already been scheduled, but the alliance characterized it Tuesday night as an emergency gathering. 

Biden Offers US Assistance in Polish Inquiry (12:15 a.m.) 

Biden, in his call with Duda, “expressed deep condolences for the loss of life in eastern Poland,” according to a White House account of the conversation. The American president offered Poland “full US support for and assistance” with the investigation into the explosion. 

Biden also spoke to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday, the White House said. 

US and EU Pursue Consultations on Explosions in Poland (10:46 p.m.)

Biden spoke by phone with Duda, according to the White House. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Polish counterpart as well.

European Council President Charles Michel said he would call a coordination meeting on Wednesday of EU leaders attending the G-20 meeting in Bali to discuss the explosions in Poland. He tweeted that he spoke with Poland’s Morawiceki and “assured him of full EU unity and solidarity in support of Poland.”

Poland Says It’s Investigating the Source of Deadly Blast (10:32 p.m.)

An explosion near Poland’s eastern border with Ukraine killed two people. and Polish authorities are investigating the source of the blast, Polish government spokesman Piotr Muller said at a briefing.

The government in Warsaw is considering invoking Article 4 of the NATO treaty, under which member states can consult with their allies in the military alliance to raise any issue of concern related to national security before taking any action.

Polish authorities didn’t confirm a report from the Associated Press, which cited a US intelligence official that it didn’t name, that the deaths were caused by Russian missiles that crossed the border with Ukraine. Muller said “the authorities are on the spot and investigating the case and will continue to investigate it throughout the night or as long as necessary to clarify this case.”

Zelenskiy Says Reported Strike on Poland Proves His Point (9:28 p.m.)

A reported  strike on a Polish settlement near the Ukrainian border proves that Russian terrorism isn’t limited to Ukraine, Zelenskiy said in his nightly address, without offering evidence of such an attack.

“How many times has Ukraine said that the terrorist state will not stop on our country? Poland, the Baltic states -- it’s only a matter of time before Russian terror goes further,” Zelenskiy said.

Russia Dismisses Poland Missile Report as ‘Provocation’ (9:02 p.m.)

Russia’s Defense Ministry dismissed reports its missiles had landed on Polish territory as a “deliberate provocation” aimed at escalating tensions.

The ministry said it had aimed no weapons near the Ukrainian-Polish border where the explosions were reported and said the debris shown in media reports didn’t match Russian weapons.

Dollar Up, Euro Down on Report of Russia Missiles (8:38 p.m.)

The dollar reversed its decline while the euro slid and Treasuries advanced as Poland convened a national security committee meeting and the Associated Press reported that Russian missiles had crossed into Poland.

The Bloomberg dollar index was up 0.1% on the day after earlier dropping as much as 1.1%, while the euro lost ground, dropping 0.2% to around 1.0306. The Polish zloty dropped more than 1% and was the second-worst emerging-market currency for the session.

US Says It’s Aware of Reported Russian Missiles Hitting Poland (8:35 p.m.)

The US is aware of media reports alleging that two Russian missiles have landed in Poland, Brigadier General Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon spokesman, told reporters.

As was the case with other NATO members, Ryder said the US didn’t yet have enough information to corroborate the reports and will look into it. The US National Security Council also said the US is looking into the matter.

Latvia’s Defense Minister Expresses Concern on Missile Report (8:02 p.m.)

Latvia’s Defense Minister Artis Pabriks said in a tweet that he was sending “condolences to our Polish brothers in arms.” 

Without citing independent confirmation of the reported missiles striking Poland, he said the “criminal Russian regime fired missiles which target not only Ukrainian civilians but also landed on NATO territory in Poland.”

Poland Is Hit by Russian Rockets, the AP Says (7:38 p.m.)

Poland, a NATO member, was hit by two Russian missiles that crossed into the country and killed two people, according to an unidentified US intelligence official cited by the Associated Press. 

A strike on a village near the Ukraine border by stray Russian missiles was also reported by the Zet radio network in Poland.

Poland has convened an evening meeting of its national security committee due to a crisis situation, according to a government spokesman who didn’t elaborate and referred to unconfirmed information.

White House Condemns Attack During G-20 Leaders Summit (5:02 p.m.) 

Russia’s latest missile strikes on Ukraine will “only deepen the concerns among the G-20 about the destabilizing impact of Putin’s war,” White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Tuesday in a statement. The US and its allies will continue providing Ukraine with defensive capabilities, including air-defense systems, according to Sullivan, who added, “we will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”

Barrage of Missiles Strikes Top Oct. 10 Attack (5 p.m.) 

Ukraine’s air-defense forces said that around 100 missiles were launched, exceeding the number from Oct. 10, when a broad missile attack hit Ukrainian settlements across the country and leveled infrastructure. 

Russian missiles were launched from the Black Sea, a site in Rostov in Russian territory and the Caspian Sea, far to the east of Ukraine’s border, air defense spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said in televised comments. Areas of northern and central Ukraine were hit the hardest, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the Ukrainian president’s deputy chief of staff, said on Telegram. 

Moldova Experiences Massive Blackouts After Russian Strikes on Ukraine (4:42 p.m.)

Moldova was experiencing “massive power outages” across the country following Russia’s strikes on the Ukraine’s energy system, according to Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Spinu.

One of the power lines that ensures electricity supplies has been automatically disconnected as a safety measure, Spinu said in his Telegram channel, adding that lines weren’t damaged. Moldova’s state operator Moldelectrica is working to restore the connection, according to Spinu

Slovakia, Germany Tank Swap Deal to Boost Ukrainian Forces (3:48 p.m.) 

Slovakia has agreed to provide 30 BVP-1 tracked infantry-fighting vehicles for Ukraine as part of a military-equipment swap deal, Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad said. The vehicles should be delivered in coming weeks. In return, Slovakia will receive 15 Leopard 2 tanks. 

Russia’s Lavrov Stays Seated at G-20 for Zelenskiy Speech (2:36 p.m.) 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stayed in the room during Zelenskiy’s virtual address at the G-20 summit, before firing back with a litany of often-made but unsubstantiated accusations, people familiar with the matter said. 

The speeches were a prominent fixture of the first G-20 session and signaled how tensions and the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are hanging over the bloc.

Gazprom’s Daily Gas Exports Dive to New Multi-Year Low (2:16 p.m.) 

Gazprom PJSC’s daily natural-gas exports to key markets declined so far in November, extending the multi-year lows hit last month with flows to Europe capped.

Russian pipeline gas flows to Europe have been falling for months as the Kremlin retaliates for the region’s support of Ukraine amid the war. European concerns over supplies have dwindled recently as the continent, historically the biggest market for Gazprom, has been diversifying away from Russian imports and stockpiling the fuel before the winter. European Union gas storage sites were 95.5% full in the week to Nov. 12. 

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

©2022 Bloomberg L.P.