Leaders of the Group of 20 (G-20) largest economies at the recent summit in Bali, Indonesia, in which “[m]ost members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine” and the “immense human suffering it has caused.”
China, which had declared a “no-limits” partnership with Russia prior to Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, notably the statement.
Amid the summit, the world’s attention turned to the Ukraine border near the Polish village of Przewodow, killing two people. Could a Russian strike on Poland, a NATO member, bring the U.S. and allies into the war?
At issue was Article 5 in the charter of the 30-member NATO alliance. That provision says an attack on one member is considered an attack on all.
With that chilling prospect looming, Li Jingjing, a journalist at China’s state-run CGTN, posted a video on YouTube Shorts describing the G-20 in skit form.
Li portrayed the mood of different countries using theatrical facial expressions and captions. But at one point, she insinuated that the U.S. hadn’t been forthcoming about the missile strike on Poland.
Role-playing as both President Joe Biden and questioner, she said:
Journalist:
Biden:
Trouble is, the idea that Biden stonewalled the press is false.
Initial reports from Ukraine said the missile strike appeared to be from Russia. That day, November 15, Russian forces at targets across Ukraine.
Following news of the Polish explosion, Biden convened an emergency meeting with Group of Seven and NATO leaders in Bali. And he later with a reporter:
Question:
Biden:
Question:
Biden:
On November 16, U.S. officials their initial findings suggested the missile that struck Poland was fired by Ukrainian forces defending themselves from an incoming Russian missile.
NATO but was quick to state it was not Ukraine’s fault.
“Russia bears ultimate responsibility as it continues its illegal war against Ukraine,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said, reaffirming Ukraine’s right to self-defense.
Polish authorities and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also assessed the missile was of Ukrainian origin.
But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disputed that it was fired by Ukraine.
“I have no doubt, it was not our missile, and not our missile strike,” .
When a reporter about Zelenskyy’s comments, Biden replied: “That’s not the evidence.”
NBC news the “public split” over the incident as potentially the “most significant rift so far between Ukraine and its supporters.”
For its part, targeting Poland, but it has continued to rain missiles down at civilian infrastructure targets throughout Ukraine in a strategy that Western politicians say amounts to a war crime.