06:10

“The Russians for their part are categorically denying they had anything to do with [it]. The problem, I think, for the Russians here is that they always categorically deny it. It’s a default position. So in the past we’ve had them deny that they were responsible for assassinating Russian agents [Sergei] Skripal in Britain and [Alexander] Litvinenko; they denied they shot down the Malaysian airliner [in 2014]; they denied that they invaded Crimea in 2014; they denied they were going to attack Ukraine earlier this year. So we expect them to deny it. So suspicion will fall on Russia even if they’re innocent. And it does seem in this particular case it was not them, which is why, with so much uncertainty around, French President Emmanuel Macron is urging the utmost caution.”

8:29am: Sweden promises $287 million Ukraine military aid package

said on Wednesday it would deliver military aid worth 3 billion Swedish crowns ($286.98 million) to Ukraine.

Defence Minister Pal Jonson told a news conference the package would include an anti-aircraft system.

7:34am: Polish military on high alert after missile strike

Poland’s military was on high alert Wednesday after a deadly missile strike on a village near the border with war-ravaged Ukraine.

Western leaders held an “emergency roundtable” on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, where they urged against jumping to any conclusions about the origins of the strike.

The talks came after Poland’s President said there was no clear evidence of who fired the missile that killed two people in the southeastern village of Przewodow, near the border with Ukraine.

He also said the missile was “most probably Russian-made”.

7:12am: G20 leaders’ declaration denounces Russian aggression against Ukraine

G20 leaders made a declaration on Wednesday saying they “deplore in the strongest terms” Russia’s aggression against .

The declaration, approved on Wednesday, said most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine but there were other views. It said international law must be upheld and the threat of the use of nuclear weapons was inadmissible and welcomed the Black Sea grain initiative.

7:10am: Erdogan says he believes Ukraine grain exports will continue

Turkish President said Wednesday he believed a deal allowing Ukraine to export grain through the Black Sea that is set to expire Saturday would remain in place.

“I am of the opinion that it will continue. There’s no problem there,” Erdogan told a press conference at the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia.

Ukraine is one of the world’s top grain producers, and Russia’s invasion of the country blocked 20 million tonnes of grain in its ports before the United Nations and Turkey brokered the deal in July.

Erdogan said he would speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin as soon as he returned to Turkey.

6:43am: Incident in Poland an attempt to provoke military clash between NATO and Russia, Russian mission to UN says

The incident in , a blast in a village near the border with Ukraine that killed two people, is an attempt to provoke a direct clash between Russia and NATO, the head of the permanent mission of Russia to the UN said on Wednesday.

“There is an attempt to provoke a direct military clash between NATO and Russia, with all the consequences for the world,” Dmitry Polyansky said on his Telegram channel.

6:42am: Blinken calls Polish, Ukrainian FMs over missile attack

US Secretary of State called his Polish and Ukrainian counterparts on Wednesday after a deadly missile strike in Poland, pledging coordination as “we determine appropriate next steps”.

“We pledged to remain closely coordinated in the days ahead as the investigation proceeds and we determine appropriate next steps,” Blinken said in a tweet as US President Joe Biden met allies on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali to discuss the blast.

6:42am: Biden, Sunak call Russian bombing of Ukrainian civilians ‘barbaric’

US President Joe Biden and his British counterpart Rishi Sunak called Russian President Vladimir Putin’s targeting of Ukrainian “barbaric” on Wednesday at a G20 summit in Bali.

“At a moment when world leaders here in Bali are seeking to make progress on world peace, Putin is striking civilian targets – children, women. I mean, it’s almost – my words, not yours – barbaric,” Biden said at a meeting with .

The British prime minister, meeting Biden for the first time since taking office, said: “I agree with your words – barbaric.”

They were speaking as tensions spiralled over the deaths of two people when a missile hit inside Poland, across the Ukrainian border.

6:40am: France urges ‘utmost caution’ on origin of Poland strike

urged “utmost caution” Wednesday on the origin of a deadly missile strike on NATO member Poland, saying many countries in the region have similar weapons.

“It’s logical that we approach the question with utmost caution,” a French presidential official said.

“Identifying the type of missile won’t necessarily identify who is behind it,” the official said, warning of the “significant risks of escalation”.

“This is a subject where we don’t want to make a mistake,” the official added.

6:28am: Indonesian leader tells G20 meeting that countries must ‘stop the war’

Indonesian President Joko Widodo, the chair of the G20 major economies, said on Wednesday that countries must “stop the war” in opening remarks at a meeting during the G20 summit.

His comments come amid discussion on the economic impacts of the war in Ukraine and concerns about a blast near Poland’s border with Ukraine.

4:34am: Poland likely to invoke NATO’s Article 4, will raise missile blast with UN 

Poland is likely to request consultations under NATO’s Article 4 after a missile, reportedly Russian-made, struck Polish territory near the border with Ukraine, and raise the issue at a UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday, officials said.

Two people were killed in an explosion in a village 6 kilometres (3.5 miles) from the border, with Polish President Andrzej Duda saying that Poland had no conclusive evidence showing who fired the missile. 

3:52am: UN chief warns against escalating conflict in Ukraine

UN Secretary-General tweeted early Wednesday that he was “very concerned by the reports of a missile exploding on Polish territory”.

The UN chief added that “it is absolutely essential to avoid escalating the war in Ukraine”.

3:30am: Poland blast may not be from missile fired from Russia, Biden says

The United States and its NATO allies are investigating the blast that killed two in Poland, but early information suggests it may not have been caused by a missile fired from Russia, US President  said.

Biden spoke after global leaders gathered for the G20 meeting in Indonesia held an emergency meeting on Wednesday, after deadly explosions in Poland that Ukraine and Polish authorities said were caused by Russian-made missiles.

Asked whether it was too early to say that the missile was fired from Russia, Biden said: “There is preliminary information that contests that. I don’t want to say that until we completely investigate it but it is unlikely in the lines of the trajectory that it was fired from Russia but we’ll see.”

The  and NATO countries would fully investigate before acting, he added.

1:15am: G7 leaders arranging emergency summit after Poland missile strike, reports Kyodo news agency

Group of Seven leaders are arranging an emergency summit meeting on Wednesday in response to a missile strike in Poland, the Kyodo news agency said, citing a Japanese government source.

A and United Kingdom meeting scheduled for the same day has been put on hold, according to the report.

12:57am: No concrete evidence on who fired missile, Poland’s Duda says

Poland has no concrete evidence showing who fired the missile that caused an explosion in a village near the Ukrainian border, President Andrzej Duda said on Wednesday.

“We do not have any conclusive evidence at the moment as to who launched this missile … it was most likely a Russian-made missile, but this is all still under investigation at the moment,” Duda told reporters.

01:24

12:38am: Poland increasing monitoring of its airspace, PM says

Poland has decided to increase surveillance of its airspace, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Wednesday, as he confirmed that Poland was studying the possibility of requesting consultations under Article 4 of the military alliance treaty.

12:04am: Biden offers Poland full US support in blast investigation

President Joe Biden offered his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda full US support for the country’s probe into a blast that killed two people near the border with Ukraine, the White House said.

“President Biden offered full US support for and assistance with Poland’s investigation,” the said after the pair spoke.

NATO allies are investigating unconfirmed reports the explosion was caused by stray Russian missiles.

12:02am: UK ‘urgently’ looking into reports of missiles landing in Poland 

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in a tweet on Tuesday said his country was urgently looking into reports of a missile strike in Poland and will support allies as they establish what happened.

“We are also coordinating with our international partners, including NATO,” Sunak said.

I have just spoken with the Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary.

We are urgently looking into reports of a missile strike in Poland and will support our allies as they establish what has happened.

We are also coordinating with our international partners, including NATO.

— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak)

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and REUTERS)

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