White House: Russia bears ultimate responsibility regardless of whose missile fell on Poland

The White House said on Nov. 16 that it sees "nothing" that contradicts the Polish claim that the missile blast in eastern Poland, killing two, was likely the result of a Ukrainian air defense missile that accidentally fell on its NATO neighbor. But regardless of the origins of the missile, the White House said that Russia bears the ultimate responsibility for the "tragic incident" in Poland.

"Ukraine had — and has — every right to defend itself," the White House said.

Earlier on Nov. 16, Polish President Andrzej Duda said that it was probably a Ukrainian air defense missile that fell on his country's border village, framing it as an "unfortunate accident." He said there was no evidence that it could have been an "intentional attack."

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky refuted the West's claims, saying that he has "no doubts" that it wasn't a Ukrainian missile. "I believe that this was a Russian missile, based on our military reports," Zelensky said, adding that he wanted Ukrainian representatives participating in the investigation.