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Poland calls blast a likely accident

On Tuesday, an explosion in Poland near the border with Ukraine killed two people. Initial reports suggested that a Russian missile caused the explosion. But a fuller picture has since emerged.

Andrzej Duda, Poland’s president, said that early indications suggested that Ukrainian efforts to counter a barrage of Russian missiles caused the blast — not a direct attack on his country. He called it an “unfortunate accident” and said that there was “no evidence at the moment that it was a rocket launched by Russian forces.”

Jens Stoltenberg, NATO’s secretary general, also said that a Ukrainian air defense missile most likely caused the explosion in the tiny village of Przewodow, and that a fuller investigation was still underway. But Stoltenberg and the White House both said that even if the missile was Ukrainian, Russia was ultimately responsible.

“Let me be clear: This is not Ukraine’s fault,” Stoltenberg said. “Russia bears ultimate responsibility as it continues its illegal war against Ukraine.”

deliberate attack by Russia or of any Russian plans to attack a NATO ally — meaning that NATO’s commitment to collective defense was not at issue.

Blame: Russia denied responsibility. Ukraine did, too. Both countries use the type of Russian-built missile that was recovered from the scene.

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Attacks: Russia’s strikes on infrastructure have continued, leaving more Ukrainians without utilities or internet.

Diplomacy: At the G20 summit, China said it wanted to “deepen practical cooperation” with Russia but signaled that Beijing is becoming more guarded about the war.Xi Jinping, China’s top leader, spoke sharply to Justin Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister, at the end of the G20 summit. In a short video, Xi accused Trudeau of leaking details of a conversation.