The United States emphasized on Monday that its NATO commitment to Poland was “ironclad” after Warsaw said a Russian missile had breached its airspace.
“Our commitment to NATO and the security of our NATO allies, which of course includes Poland, is ironclad and it will not waver,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
Poland’s foreign ministry said on Monday the Russian ambassador in Warsaw did not arrive for a diplomatic summons issued after the missile breach over the weekend.
Ambassador Sergey Andreyev told Russia’s RIA Novosti that he was waiting for proof and that “it made no sense to discuss this topic without” it.
Poland on Sunday said a Russian cruise missile fired at towns in western Ukraine and breached Polish airspace overnight for 39 seconds.
The missile was traveling at almost 800 kilometers per hour (500 mph) about 400 meters (1,300 feet) above ground and had crossed about two kilometers across the border into Poland, according to the army.
Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said Poland activated all air defense systems and the missile would have been shot down if there were any signs it was headed for a target in Poland.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Pawel Wronski said the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations clearly specifies the duties of an ambassador in a host country.
“We are wondering whether the ambassador is carrying out the instructions of the foreign ministry in Moscow and if he is able to properly represent Russia’s interests in Warsaw,” he said.
Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski stressed the incident was further evidence that Russia, ”which is continuing its unjustified and brutal aggression against Ukraine, also threatens the security of NATO member states,” the foreign ministry said.
In November 2022, two people were killed when a Ukrainian air-defense missile fell on the Polish village of Przewodow, near the Ukrainian border.
Warsaw has been a strong supporter of Ukraine since Russia invaded the country in February 2022.
