United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday that the ultimate responsibility for the blast in Poland lies with Russia. The blast, which killed two people, was believed to be caused by Ukrainian air defence missiles but Blinken said that the ongoing invasion in Ukraine is to be blamed for the incident. He also added that the US is currently assisting Ukraine with the ongoing investigation.
"Whatever its final conclusion, we already know the party ultimately responsible for this tragic incident – Russia," Blinken said at the Asia-Pacific summit in Bangkok according to Reuters.
"What we are seeing every single day now is Russia raining missiles down on Ukraine, seeking to destroy its critical infrastructure, targeting the ability that Ukraine has to keep the lights on, to keep the heat going, to allow the country simply to live and move forward,” he added.
In the aftermath of the incident, US President Joe Biden said that Russia was not responsible for the blast in Poland. Blinken made it clear that the investigation has "seen nothing so far that contradicts" the observation and the working theory remains that it occurred due to the Ukrainian defence missiles.
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During the address, he also reaffirmed the US support for Ukraine’s cause.
"Ukraine has the right to defend itself and we are committed to supporting Ukraine."
Blinken also spoke about the grain deal brokered by the United Nations that allowed the passage of Ukrainian ships through the Black Sea and praised Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for his efforts.