Ukraine softens stance on Poland missile explosion as Kyiv and its NATO partners stress Russia to blame

An investigation into the missile blast that left two civilians dead inside Poland this week, highlighting the risks of Russia's war right on the eastern edge of NATO territory, continued on Thursday. NATO, the U.S. and Poland have all said the explosion was most likely caused by a Ukrainian air defense missile fired to intercept one of the dozens of weapons that Russia launched at Ukraine on Tuesday.

Ukraine initially rejected that explanation outright, blaming Russia for the explosion near a grain processing facility. It was a rare divergence in narratives between Kyiv and its invaluable allies, but Kyiv appeared to be taking a more nuanced position on Thursday, demanding access to the site to draw its own conclusions, but no longer flatly rejecting the possibility that one of its own missiles hit its neighbor and close ally.

What was not in dispute among Ukraine and its partners, at any point, was that the "ultimate responsibility" for the deaths on Polish soil, regardless of which side fired the missile in question, was Russia's.