Summary

  • The Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg says the blast in Poland late on Tuesday was likely to have been caused by Ukraine's air defence systems

  • He echoed the words of Poland's President Duda, who also said there was no sign that the missile hit was part of an intentional attack

  • Two people were killed after a missile landed in eastern Poland following a wave of Russian strikes across Ukraine

  • US President Joe Biden has also said it was "unlikely" that the missile was fired from Russia

  • The American reaction earned rare praise from Russia - with a Kremlin spokesman describing it as "restrained and professional"

  1. Sunak gives wholehearted support to Ukraine and Polandpublished at 08:32 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2022

    UK PM Sunak says yesterday at the G20 summit fellow leaders "confronted" the Russian foreign minister with the "illegality of his country's war" in Ukraine.

    "Barely two hours later," he says that more than 80 missiles rained down on western Ukraine, "killing civilians and destroying infrastructure".

    He says while other leaders were working together, "Putin was launching indiscriminate attacks on Ukraine."

    He says an urgent meeting of allies has taken place to "underscore solidarity" with Ukraine and Poland, and said he has offered his "wholehearted support" to Poland.

    "None of this would be happening if it weren't for Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This is the cruel and unrelenting reality of this war," he says.

  2. UK PM press conference in Balipublished at 08:29 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2022

    SunakImage source, WPA Rota

    UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is on his feet, giving a press conference in Bali, where the G20 summit has been taking place.

  3. G20 - dominated by Russia's war - is overpublished at 08:20 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2022

    Modi and JokowiImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    India's Modi (L) takes the gavel from Indonesia's Widodo

    The war in Ukraine has loomed over the G20 summit in Bali - and the fall of a missile into neighbouring Poland derailed its second day.

    Now the summit has come to a close with a communique strongly criticising one of its members, Russia, whose representative in Bali left early ahead of renewed Russian attacks on its neighbour.

    India assumes the G20 presidency from December and will host the next summit in September.

    PM Modi says he will focus on bridging the digital divide, especially in developing countries - “The principle of ‘data for development’ will be an integral part of the overall theme of our presidency,” he said.

  4. China urges calm after Poland missile incidentpublished at 08:06 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2022

    China has called for calm following the missile blast that killed two people in a Polish village near the border with Ukraine.

    Foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a press briefing: "Under the current situation, all relevant parties should stay calm and exercise restraint to avoid escalation of the situation."

    Earlier, France urged "utmost caution" in assessing where the missile had come from. President Biden said it was "unlikely" to have been fired from Russia.

    Britain's Sunak has not offered a public view himself on who was responsible, but Downing Street are not seeking to disagree with the US president's assessment.

    Other countries have also been giving their reaction:

    • Estonia president Alar Karis told the BBC Estonia saw this as an isolated incident but said the war had to be stopped as soon as possible
    • Turkish President Reccep Tayyip Erdogan said he respected Russia's statement denying it was behind the incident and believed Moscow had "nothing to do with it"
    • Finland's Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said it was important to know the details of the incident and "act accordingly"
    • Meanwhile, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said G7 and Nato representatives stood ready to assist Poland in its investigation
  5. 'Today's era must not be of war' - G20published at 07:44 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2022

    Tessa Wong
    Reporting from Bali

    More now from the 16-page final communique of the G20 leaders summit:

    • Nuclear weapons: Leaders agreed that the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is "inadmissible" and that it is essential to uphold international law. They said the peaceful resolution to conflicts was vital, and "today’s era must not be of war".
    • Food and energy security: They pledged to cushion price rises, increase investments, support open trade and renewable energy, and stabilise markets. They welcomed the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a UN-brokered deal which allows grain and other food to be exported out of Ukrainian ports - though this will expire in days
    • Global health: They promised to continue strengthening national health systems and sharing of health data and research to combat future pandemics
    • Climate change and environment: They resolved to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C, and step up efforts to halt biodiversity loss.
  6. Leaders scrambled to react to Poland blastpublished at 07:33 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2022

    Events in Poland dominated the second day of the G20 - world leaders awoke early to the news and scrambled to respond.

    Antony Blinken, an adviser and Joe Biden in a meeting responding to the blast in PolandImage source, THE WHITE HOUSE
    Image caption,

    Biden and his Secretary of State Antony Blinken in response mode. This photo was put out by the White House

    (l-r) European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz, France's President Emmanuel Macron, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, U.S. President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Netherland's Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and European Council President Charles Michel at the emergency meeting convened to respond to the blast in PolandImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    G7 leaders in Bali then held an emergency meeting

  7. Recap of what's been happeningpublished at 07:15 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2022

    police at sceneImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Police near where a missile came down in Polish territory near the border with Ukraine

    If you're just joining us, here's a round-up of key developments:

    • Two people have been killed in Poland after a missile hit a village near the border with Ukraine
    • US President Joe Biden said it was "unlikely" that the missile was fired from Russia
    • AP news agency is quoting unnamed US officials as saying the missile could have been fired by Ukraine as it tried to bring down incoming Russian missiles
    • Moscow strongly denied any responsibility for the blast
    • It came as Russia launched one of its biggest missile attacks on Ukraine on Tuesday, days after its troops were forced to evacuate Kherson
    • Rishi Sunak's meeting with Xi Jinping has been cancelled, with UK officials saying this was because of changing leaders' schedules in response to events in Poland
    • The G20 leaders meeting in Bali have released their final declaration, which says that "most members" strongly condemn Russia's war in Ukraine. Russia is a G20 member
  8. Russia-Ukraine grain deal may be extended - Erdoganpublished at 06:59 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2022

    A deal brokered by the UN and Turkey allowing grain exports to safely leave Ukraine may be extended, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

    Ankara is working to extend the deal, which runs out on 19 November, by a year, he told the G20.

    The deal has allowed nearly 11 million tonnes of grain to enter global markets, he said.

    Ukraine is one of the world's largest exporters of food. When Russia invaded Ukraine, exports were blocked and this caused food prices to increase worldwide.

    Read more on the grain deal here

  9. Sunak's meeting with Xi cancelledpublished at 06:51 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2022

    The planned meeting between UK PM Rishi Sunak and President Xi Jinping of China has been cancelled.

    Downing St is blaming the changing schedules of leaders resulting from events in Poland.

  10. ‘I am calling on all Poles to remain calm’published at 06:31 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2022

    Media caption,

    Polish PM: ‘I am calling on all Poles to remain calm’

    Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki urged his compatriots to remain calm after a missile landed on Polish territory, killing two people.

  11. G20 condemns Russian aggression against Ukrainepublished at 06:18 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2022
    Breaking

    Tessa Wong
    Reporting from Bali

    The G20 nations at the Bali summit have released their final communique - or declaration. Top of their agenda is condemnation of Russia, a member state.

    The statement says members stated their national positions which include a UN resolution that "deplores in the strongest terms the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine and demands its complete and unconditional withdrawal from the territory of Ukraine".

    "Most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine and stressed it is causing immense human suffering and exacerbating existing fragilities in the global economy - constraining growth, increasing inflation, disrupting supply chains, heightening energy and food insecurity, and elevating financial stability risks."

    "There were other views and different assessments of the situation and sanctions."

  12. Where explosion in Poland happenedpublished at 06:03 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2022

    Russia is denying that it was behind the blast - read more here

    map
  13. Missile that landed in Poland was fired by Ukraine - reportpublished at 05:46 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2022

    The Associated Press news agency is quoting three US officials as saying a preliminary assessment suggests the missile that hit Poland was fired by Ukrainian forces at an incoming Russian missile.

    The officials, who are not authorised to discuss the matter publicly, spoke to AP on the condition of anonymity.

    Earlier on Tuesday President Biden said it was "unlikely" the missile that hit Poland was fired from Russia.

    The missile landed in the village of Przedwodow near the border with Ukraine, killing two people.

  14. Sunak and Biden denounce 'barbaric' Russian missile attackspublished at 05:20 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2022

    sunak and bidenImage source, Reuters

    UK PM Rishi Sunak and US President Joe Biden have held a bilateral meeting in Bali in an open-air room surrounded by a carp pond and tropical plants.

    "At the moment where world leaders meeting here in Bali are seeking progress on world peace, Putin’s striking civilian targets - children, and women. I mean, it’s just, it’s almost - in my words, not yours - barbaric,” said Biden.

    Sunak said he agreed Russian missile attacks were barbaric.

    The pair declined to take questions from reporters on the explosion in Poland - but Biden earlier said it seemed unlikely that the missile was fired from Russia.

  15. How will China react to Ukraine war developments?published at 04:59 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2022

    Tessa Wong
    Reporting from Bali

    Over the last few days China's President Xi Jinping has clearly signalled in meetings here in Bali that – publicly at least - he does not intend to lean harder on Russia over the war.

    But with Russia’s strikes on Ukraine yesterday, and the troubling blast in Poland near the Ukraine border, how will China now react?

    "I don’t think China will condemn Russia, even though Xi Jinping is likely increasingly uneasy about the war. The Chinese will continue to call for peace, but avoid pinning blame," says Bonnie Glaser, director of the Asia programme at the German Marshall Fund.

    It’s likely that China will “play the waiting game” for now by calling for patience and fact-finding, says political scientist Wen-ti Sung, from the Australian National University.

    “China does not want to undermine Russia or enable multilateral effort against Russia, for whatever sanctions could be levied against Russia today could be levied against China tomorrow. So Beijing has no incentive to help the West build mechanisms or norms for coordinating multilateral sanctions.”

    On how this might affect the G20 communique, the prospect of direct condemnation of Russian aggression is still uncertain, and in its place there may be more general language calling for respect for territorial integrity, Sung says.

    It isn’t clear yet who fired the missiles that reportedly landed in Poland - but regardless of who fired it, the incident may benefit China, according to Sung.

    “There is always an undercurrent in US thinking that the US cannot afford to take on both Russia and China at the same time.

    “This missile strike elevates the perceived urgency of the Russian threat at a precise moment when US-China relations seems to be stabilising.

    “It will give US China doves another talking point on why the US should seize this momentum and go easy on China.”

  16. France urges 'utmost caution' on origin of Poland missilepublished at 04:44 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2022

    France has called for the "utmost caution" in assessing the origin of the blast in eastern Poland, AFP reports.

    Many countries in the region possess the type of weapon used so identifying it does not necessarily confirm who fired it, the French presidency said in a statement.

    It warned of "major escalation risks".

  17. Blinken discusses Nato co-ordination with Polandpublished at 04:22 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2022

    The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has been speaking with the Polish and Ukrainian foreign ministers about the explosion in Poland.

    He and Polish FM Zbigniew Rau emphasised the importance of the Nato alliance "continuing to stay in close co-ordination" as they assess what to do next.

    Blinken reiterated US support for Poland's investigation and expressed condolences for the two Polish people killed.

    In a call with Ukraine's FM, he also pledged the US to "continue to work closely with allies and partners to provide Ukraine what it needs to defend itself" - according to a State Department statement.

    Ukraine's FM tweeted his own take on the call:

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  18. Talks continue in Bali mangrove forestpublished at 04:03 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2022

    Tessa Wong
    Reporting from Bali

    U.S. President Joe Biden, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and European Union President Ursula von der Leyen raise their garden hoes during a tree planting event at the Taman Hutan Raya Ngurah Rai Mangrove Forest, on the sidelines of the G20 summit meeting, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022, in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia.Image source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Biden posed with India's Narendra Modi, Indonesia's Joko Widodo, and the European Commission's Ursula von der Leyen

    Right after the emergency roundtable discussion by G7 leaders at US President Joe Biden’s Bali hotel, many rushed to a scheduled G20 event at a mangrove forest.

    It was a surreal, whiplash moment for the leaders, going from tense discussions on the Ukraine war straight into a cheery photo-op planting trees. Biden showed up still in his suit, and later shed his jacket, while others were wearing their G20 polo shirts and caps.

    Indonesian leader Joko Widodo was determined to not let events in Europe overshadow his event, and declined to comment when reporters pressed him on the Ukraine strikes and Poland blasts.

    But it was evidently very much still on many leaders’ minds.

    Even as they smiled for the cameras while touring the forest, some could be seen breaking off in private discussions. Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron at one point spoke for several minutes, Macron looking intense with his brow furrowed.

    Today’s event was meant to highlight climate change issues – mangrove trees are huge absorbers of carbon and Indonesia is leading the world’s biggest mangrove restoration effort.

    But after what’s happened overnight, the war in Ukraine is overshadowing everything else now.

  19. Watch: Biden says unlikely missile fired from Russiapublished at 03:45 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2022

    Media caption,

    Biden: Poland missile 'unlikely' fired from Russia

  20. Russia attacks show it doesn’t want to end war - Zelenskypublished at 03:35 Greenwich Mean Time 16 November 2022

    Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky delivers his nightly addressImage source, Ukrainian President's Office

    Zelensky says Tuesday’s missile attacks by Russia on Ukraine were Moscow’s message that it has no interest in ending the war.

    In his nightly address, Zelensky said a total of 90 missiles were launched, damaging energy infrastructure, as well as businesses and residential buildings.

    “And when did it happen? As soon as the first day of the G20 summit ended in Indonesia,” he said, later referring to the event as "G19", a pointed snub of Moscow.

    “Russia is told about peace, but it fires missiles in response. It is told about the global crises that Russia caused, and it launches Iranian drones in response. It is offered ten points to end the war, and it fires ten missiles per each point about peace.”

    Zelensky said the attacks had led to blackouts across the country, including in Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv and Zhytomyr regions.

    “This is the answer of Russia to Indonesia, India, China and all other countries that talked about the need to end the war. Russia is telling the world that it wants to continue. Now it is time for the world to answer,” he said.

    Zelensky added that more than 70 missiles and 10 combat drones had been shot down, thanking “all partners who help protect the sky”.

    Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had been in Bali as his country's representative at the G20 but left the gathering early on Tuesday evening before the Russian bombardment.