On Monday, Polish President Andrzej Duda was set to discuss the issue with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, according to Marcin Przydacz, a top foreign policy aide to the Polish head of state.
Asked by private broadcaster RMF FM if Poland would take diplomatic measures over the incident, Przydacz said: “Diplomatic action will definitely be taken in the western direction. Later today, President Duda will hold talks with the secretary-general of NATO.”
Przydacz added: “We are also in contact with our American allies, and we’ll be discussing the situation,” Polish state news agency PAP reported.
“If it is established beyond any doubt what really happened, from which direction and how, then I can’t imagine diplomatic steps not being taken in the eastern direction, as well," Przydacz also said.
He told RMF FM that these steps would focus on “where the missile came from and why it entered the territory of a country that is not involved in any military operations,” the PAP news agency reported.
'Further action will be taken in the future'
Przydacz confirmed that Duda had received a report from a government inquiry into the missile incident, following an earlier announcement by Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak.
Przydacz told RMF FM: “President Duda is looking into the report. He has also spoken to both the defence minister and top generals. Based on this analysis, further action will be taken in the future.”
'The president will take appropriate decisions'
Another Duda aide, Łukasz Rzepecki, told public broadcaster Polish Radio on Saturday that the government report “reached the Presidential Office on Friday.”
Rzepecki added: “After analysing the report, the president will take appropriate decisions if he deems them necessary,” as quoted by the PAP news agency.
President urges ‘calm,’ says situation 'under control'
Duda on Saturday said that “all important matters" were "under control” and Polish authorities were “drawing conclusions from all the events that are taking place,” the PAP news agency reported.
The head of state made the declaration during a major Polish Army exercise at a military training area in the northern town of Ustka.
Duda told reporters: “I would like the public … to have full confidence that Poland is safe and everyone is seeking to fulfill their duties in the best possible way.”
He stated: “We are aware that there are various situations because this is an unprecedented time.”
The president also said that the war in Ukraine “creates many difficult situations of various kinds, many provocations" and that "these situations need to be analysed" and "assessed in terms of the degree of danger that they pose and the decisions must be taken.”
He added: “These decisions are being taken, the objects are being monitored and we learn the lessons from every event.”
The president declared: “For me, the most important thing is to ensure that Poland is safe, and above all that all our citizens feel safe.”
He offered assurances that “all important matters are under control.”
Duda went on to say: “We are acting very calmly and consistently. I urge everyone to act calmly and without emotion. We are learning the lessons from all the events that are taking place.”
‘Military object’ found in north-central Poland
In late April, Poland’s defence ministry said that “the remains of an unidentified military object have been found in the vicinity of the village of Zamość, some 15 kilometres from Bydgoszcz.”
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said he had instructed his Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak “to personally oversee the investigation and all the work designed to find a definite explanation” for the discovery.
RMF FM reported on May 10 that the "military object" found in north-central Poland last month was a Russian CH-55 missile.
Defence minister says army failed to report ‘military object’ entering Poland
Announcing the results of a government inquiry, Błaszczak said on May 11 that the Polish Armed Forces’ Airborne Operations Command had been alerted by Ukrainian officials about a possible Russian missile heading towards Poland on December 16.
The defence minister said that Poland in response raised combat readiness and Polish and American planes took off to monitor the situation, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
Moreover, "in line with procedures," the Airborne Operations Command notified the Polish Army’s Operational Commander, Gen. Tomasz Piotrowski, that “an unidentified object has entered Polish airspace,” according to Błaszczak.
But Błaszczak said the inquiry found Piotrowski "neglected to perform his duties by failing to inform" the government "about the object."
Błaszczak added at the time that any “personnel decisions or disciplinary action will be taken after consulting the president, who has the ultimate authority over the armed forces.”
Polish president sees 'no need' for 'personnel decisions' at top of army: officials
The president’s National Security Bureau (BBN) said in a statement on May 12 that, according to Duda, there was "no need for now" for "personnel decisions among senior military staff” over the discovery of the “military object."
Action needed to ensure 'such situations do not occur in future’: gov't spokesman
Polish government spokesman Piotr Müller said on May 12 that the results of the government inquiry into the discovery of the “military object” would "be presented to President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.”
Speaking in an interview with state broadcaster TVP Info, Müller said at the time: “All the conclusions from this report should be implemented immediately to ensure that such situations do not occur in the future.”
Earlier that day, Gen. Piotrowski issued a statement in which he urged “sense” and called on Poles not to let themselves be divided as a society amid a government inquiry into the “military object” found last month.
Monday is day 446 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, prezydent.pl, polskieradio24.pl