The federal government is monitoring reports "very closely" indicating Russian missiles crossed into NATO member Poland, Canada's ministers of defense and foreign affairs said.
Poland's foreign ministry said early Wednesday that a "Russian-made missile" was responsible for Tuesday's explosion in Przewodow, a Polish village near the border with Ukraine, which killed two people. Russia hit Ukraine's energy facilities throughout the day with its largest barrage of missiles, hitting targets from east to west and causing widespread power outages.
A senior US intelligence official told The Associated Press on Tuesday morning that a Russian missile had hit Przewodow during the attack. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the situation.
Russia's defense ministry denied the report, describing it as a deliberate provocation. A Kremlin spokesman told Reuters he had "no information" about the incident.
International experts are still assessing the site of the blast to determine what happened, Polish and NATO authorities say. If confirmed, the strike would mark the first time in the war that Russian weapons have fallen on a NATO country.
However, at the G20 summit in Indonesia, US President Joe Biden said he had seen information that cast doubt on some of the previous reports, including Russian misconduct.
"There is initial information that disproves that," Biden told reporters when asked if the missile was fired from Russia. "It's unlikely that the shells were fired from Russia, but we'll see."
It was not immediately clear whether Biden stated that the missiles were not fired by Russia at all. Ukraine still has a stockpile of Soviet and Russian-made weapons, including the S-300 air defense missile system.
Biden was speaking after he convened an "emergency" meeting of Group of Seven and NATO leaders in Indonesia Wednesday morning for consultations about the attack.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is also attending the G20 summit, said he had been briefed on the latest developments.
"I know the report. It would be unwise for me to comment on them at this point. I am in close contact with our Polish allies and we are monitoring the situation very closely," National Defense Minister Anita Anand told reporters in Ottawa.
"As I said, we are monitoring the situation. I am receiving updates regarding this report and am very closely in touch with our current Polish allies. It would be unwise of me to comment any further."
Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said her ministry was in touch with its Polish counterparts and offered its condolences to "the victims, their loved ones and the people of Poland."
A NATO spokesperson confirmed to Global News that Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will chair an emergency meeting of NATO ambassadors on Wednesday to discuss the incident.
Two European diplomats told Reuters the meeting would trigger the alliance's Article 4, which allows members to discuss pressing issues and determine an appropriate response.
This is a less severe step than imposing Article 5, which would have required the alliance to defend any member suffering an “armed attack” – suggesting that NATO is not yet convinced the attack was intentional, even if it had come from Russia.
Polish President Andrzej Duda told reporters on Wednesday that it was "highly likely" his country's ambassador would ask for Article 4 to be activated at the meeting.
Stoltenberg confirmed he had spoken to Duda but did not discuss further action NATO might take, adding that it was "important that all the facts are established" first.
Duda said he had spoken to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who assured him the missile was launched by Russia. However, said Duda, investigators have not finished their work or made a determination.
"Most likely it was a Russian-made missile, but this is still under investigation at this time," he said Wednesday.
Polish government spokesman Piotr Mueller said Poland was increasing the readiness of some military units, Reuters reported. Duda will also convene his national security council on Wednesday.
Polish media reported that the strike took place in an area where grain was drying in Przewodow.
None of Poland's or its allies' statements addressed the circumstances of the attack, including whether it was a targeted Russian strike or debris from an intercepted missile meant for a Ukrainian target. NATO called it a "tragic incident."
The Pentagon has not confirmed the report.
“We are aware of press reports stating that two Russian missiles have struck locations in Poland near the Ukrainian border. I can tell you that we don't have any information at this time to corroborate the report and are investigating it further," Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder told a news briefing Tuesday.
The US National Security Council said it was also investigating the reports, adding it was later unable to confirm anything after discussions with its Polish counterparts. The council is expected to discuss the Polish incident Wednesday during a previously scheduled meeting in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy late Tuesday called the alleged Russian attack in Poland a "significant escalation" of the conflict, but offered no evidence to prove Russia was responsible.
He said the incident was proof that his repeated warnings of "Russian terror" extending beyond Ukraine were imminent, and urged NATO to strike back.
“The longer Russia feels impunity, the more threats it poses to anyone within range of Russian missiles,” he said in his evening video address, which was posted to his Telegram channel.
“To fire missiles into NATO territory! This is a Russian missile attack on collective security! This is a very significant escalation. We must act.”
However, Latvian media reported that the country's defense minister and head of the armed forces said in an interview that NATO's Article 5 would be unlikely to be implemented.
Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš then convened an emergency government meeting on Wednesday morning to hear a report on regional security and "to prepare for further action." Latvia shares a border with Russia as well as Kremlin ally Belarus.
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