Judy: It was the first explosion
inside a nato country linked to
the war in Ukraine.
The missile that landed last
night in Poland and killed two
of its citizens sparked
emergency meetings of nato and
the world's leading democracies,
as well as multiple phone calls
by president Biden and senior
U.S. Officials.
Today, initial findings suggest
it was an errant Ukrainian air
defense missile, not a Russian
missile.
To discuss this, I am joined by
our Nick schifrin.
I know you have been reporting
on this since the news first
broke.
What is known at this point
about this explosion?
Nick: The investigation is being
led by Polish authorities aided
by the U.S.
Andrzej Duda said it was "Highly
probable" that Ukrainian air
defense missile landed in
Poland.
We heard from Ian Stoltenberg as
well who said the explosion was
"Likely caused by Ukrainian
missile."
Secretary of defense Lloyd
office -- Lloyd austen those
assessments.
>> Our information supports what
president Duda said in his
preliminary assessed -- luminary
assessment, is that this is most
likely a result of Ukrainian air
defense missile.
Nick: This is the aftermath of
that missile.
When we are talking about our
Ukrainian muscles that they are
using to shoot down -- Ukrainian
missiles that they are using to
shoot down those muscles.
Russia launched an hundred
strikes across Ukraine.
That is the largest salvo of the
war.
Ukraine is not on the same page
tonight.
You hear president volodymyr
zelenskyy said his military told
him it was not them.
>> Have no reason to doubt the
evening report by the commander
of the air force, delivered to
me personally as well as to
commander-in-chief zaluzhnyi.
I have no doubt that it was not
our missile.
Nick: That is a bit of the
disconnect between the U.S. And
Ukraine.
U.S. Officials are increasingly
confident in their initial
assessment based on things like
the investigators, U.S. And
Polish on the ground, based on
things like radar, he tracking,
and some intercepted
communication.
Despite the disconnect, it does
seem like this crisis is over.
It was a crisis.
The g7 leaders meeting in Bali
met at an emergency meeting.
Nato met in an unscheduled
meeting.
President Biden and his top
aides woke up in the middle of
the night, but is Jake Sullivan,
secretary of state Antony
blinken, taking notes.
They spent hours scrambling
because there has been a fear
that since Russia invaded
Ukraine, this war could spill
over into nato.
Last night, for a minute, there
was a fear that that had
actually happened.
Judy: A lot of people are
surprised it had not happened
before now.
Let's broaden it out, the war
itself.
We know Ukraine has had
successes in the last several
weeks.
It was the chairman of the joint
chiefs who said -- who suggested
Ukraine ought to be thinking
about negotiating.
Nick: We have seen Ukraine sees
the only regional capital that
Russia seized this year, that
his hair sound.
U.S. Officials believe it is
getting muddy on the
battlefield.
That will limit the ability for
Ukraine and Russia to seize and
move the other person far.
That has led the chairman of the
joint chiefs last week to say
that neither side could achieve
their military objectives, and
he said "When there is an
opportunity to negotiate, seize
the moment."
He was criticized by some in
Ukraine and here for that
comment.
Today, he said explicitly that
Ukraine plant to keep fighting.
>> Ukraine is going to continue
to take the fight to the
Russians.
And I just had a significant
conversation with my Ukrainian
counterpart, and he assures me
that that is the future for
Ukraine.
Nick: I was in the room, and we
asked him, we pressed him on his
comments last week multiple
times.
He finally admitted given the
100,000 plus casualties that
Russia has taken in this war, he
says perhaps maybe it is not the
worst time to negotiate.
>> The Russian military is
really hurting bad.
So, you want to negotiate at a
time when you're at your
strength and your opponent is at
weakness.
And it's possible, maybe, there
will be a political solution.
All I'm saying is there is a
possibility for it.
That's all I'm saying.
Nick: The official U.S. Policy
is that only Ukraine can decide
when to negotiate.
The Ukrainian officials tell me
and others they have no desire
to negotiate and they think they
Given what he is admitting, that
victory is going to be very
difficult, the U.S. Expects this
war to continue for a long time,
as Austin said today, I do not
think this war will be over
anytime soon.
Judy: Would love to be a fly on
the wall for those conversations
between U.S. Officials and the
Ukrainians.
Nick: Absolutely.
Judy: Nick schifrin, thank you.
Nick: Thank you.
[Laughter]