Cyprus ‘greatly concerned’ after missiles hit Poland

Cyprus says it is following a deadly missile attack in Poland “with great concern” after an explosion at a grain facility near the Ukrainian border killed two people, with Moscow flatly denying any involvement and Washington suggesting Russia was likely not an actor in the attack.

World leaders were alarmed after Polish and foreign media said two Russian-made missiles on Tuesday struck grain dryers in Przewodow, a village in the country's eastern province close to the border with Ukraine.

The Cypriot foreign ministry took to Twitter saying Nicosia was “following with great concern the alarming developments” and standing “in full solidarity” with fellow EU member state.

“We are following with great concern the alarming developments in Przewodow after tonight’s missile explosions. Sincere condolences to the Polish government and to the families of the victims. Cyprus stands in full solidarity with our EU partner Poland,” the ministry tweeted.

The strike came after reports emerged that a US-Russia meeting had taken place in Ankara. Sources cited in various media said CIA director William Burns met with Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia's foreign intelligence service, as pundits suggested international leaders were seeking ways to deescalate the war in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took to Twitter saying Russian missiles hit Poland in a "significant escalation" of the conflict but did not provide evidence of Moscow’s involvement.

"All of Europe and the world must be fully protected from terrorist Russia," he wrote.

Moscow has flatly denied the accusations, with the Russian Defense Ministry saying their military had performed no strikes targeting the Ukrainian-Polish border zone.

"The wreckage published by Polish mass media from the scene in Przewodow have no relation to Russian firepower," the ministry said.

The Associated Press earlier reported that the blast was due to Russian missiles having crossed into Poland, citing a senior US intelligence official who remained anonymous.

But Washington could not corroborate the report, with US President Joe Biden even alluding to preliminary information from the Pentagon that indicated the missiles may not have come from Russia.

Biden spoke after an emergency meeting with G7 and NATO leaders in Indonesia on Wednesday morning, when reporters asked if the missile had been fired from Russia.

“There is preliminary information that contests that,” Biden said, adding that “it is unlikely in the lines of the trajectory that it was fired from Russia, but we’ll see.”