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Polish president, CIA chief meet in Warsaw

17.11.2022 07:00
Poland's President Andrzej Duda has met with CIA chief Bill Burns, who visited Warsaw this week after stops in Ankara and Kyiv, according to officials.
Polish President Andrzej Duda and CIA chief William Burns meet in Warsaw on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022.
Polish President Andrzej Duda and CIA chief William Burns meet in Warsaw on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022.Photo: Marek Borawski/KPRP

"President Andrzej Duda spoke with the head of the CIA, William Burns, who is in Warsaw after visiting Ankara and Kyiv," Jacek Siewiera, the head of the Polish president's National Security Bureau (BBN), said in a tweet on Wednesday evening.

Siewiera added that "the conversation focused on the overall  security situation," including "in the context of the latest events."

"There's lots of work between Poland and the US today," Siewiera also tweeted.

Poland's envoy to the United Nations, Krzysztof Szczerski, on Wednesday briefed the international community on an incident in which two civilians were killed in the southeast of the country when a missile struck a village near the border with Ukraine.

Addressing the UN Security Council, Szczerski said Poland acted with "full restraint" after a suspected Russian-made missile fell inside its border a day earlier, killing two people and sparking fears of an escalation in Russia's war against Ukraine.

He added that Poland immediately launched an "extensive multi-phase investigation" into the incident, which NATO and the United States said was probably caused by a stray missile fired by Ukrainian forces defending their country against Russian air strikes.

"Poland is also conducting intensive consultations on the incident with its NATO allies and key partners," Szczerski said.

He told the UN Security Council that initial findings showed the incident was not a deliberate attack.

"But naturally, we need to wait for the final conclusion until the investigation is over," he said.

US President Joe Biden said this week that he spoke with Poland's Duda "to express my deep condolences for the loss of life in eastern Poland and offer our full support for Poland's investigation of the explosion."

The Polish president said on Wednesday that there was "no indication" that the missile, which killed two Polish citizens, was intended to hit Poland amid Russia's war in neighbouring Ukraine.

Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told parliament in Warsaw on Wednesday that it could not be ruled out that the missile incident was the result of a "provocation" by Russia.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday that the missile was probably a stray fired by Ukraine's air defences and not a Russian strike, but added that Russia "bears ultimate responsibility" for the incident as it "continues its illegal war" against Ukraine.

(gs)

Source: IAR, PAP