Administration of Joseph R. Biden, Jr., 2022

November 15, 2022

The President. Thanks for being here. Iâas you saw, I just met with the leaders of NATO and the Gâ7 andâto talk about the latest events in Europe, and I briefed them on my discussions with President Duda of Poland, as well as NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg. And we agreed to support Poland's investigation into the explosion in rural Poland, near the Ukrainian border.

And I'm going to make sure we figure out exactly what happened.

Our empathyâsympathy goes out toâapparently, two people were killed.

And then we're going to collectively determine our next step as we investigate and proceed.

There was total unanimity among the folks at the table.

And we also discussed the latest series of Russian missile attacks, which are continuing the brutality and inhumanity that they've demonstrated throughout this war against Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructures. And it'sâthey've been totally unconscionable, what they're doing. Totally unconscionable.

And the moment when the world had come together at the Gâ20 to urge deescalation, Russia continues toâhas chosen to escalate in Ukraine, while we're meeting. I mean, there were scores and scores of attacksâmissile attacks into western Ukraine.

We support Ukraine fully in this moment, and we have since the start of this conflict. And we're going to continue to do whatever it takes to give them the capacity to defend themselves.

Explosion in Eastern Poland/Russia

Q. Mr. President, is it too early to say whether this missile was fired from Russia?

The President. There is preliminary information that contests that. I don't want to say that until we completely investigate. But it isâIâit's unlikely, in the minds of the trajectory, that it was fired from Russia. But we'll see. We'll see.

Q. Unlikely, sir?

North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Q. Mr. President, has Poland suggested invoking article 4 or 5 from NATO, sir?

The President. The consensus is, we're going to probably have a meeting of the Ambassadors. So that'sâit looks like we're going to go do next.

Thank you.

NOTE: The President spoke at 9:53 a.m. outside the Grand Hyatt Bali hotel. In his remarks, he referred to grain warehouse foreman Boguslaw Wos and tractor driver Bogdan Ciupek, who were killed in the explosion in PrzewodÃ³w, Poland, on November 15.

Categories: Addresses and Remarks : Easter Poland explosion, remarks in Bali, Indonesia; Interviews With the News Media : Exchanges with reporters, Bali, Indonesia.

Locations: Bali, Indonesia.

Names: Ciupek, Bogdan; Duda, Andrzej; Stoltenberg, Jens; Wos, Boguslaw.

Subjects: Group of Seven (Gâ7) nations; Group of Twenty (Gâ20) nations; Indonesia, President Biden's visit; North Atlantic Treaty Organization; Poland, explosion in PrzewodÃ³w; Poland, President; Russia, conflict in Ukraine; Ukraine, Russian invasion and airstrikes; Ukraine, U.S. assistance.

DCPD Number: DCPD202201044.