U.S. President Biden on Thursday disputed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s claim that the missile that struck Poland was not launched by Ukrainian troops.
“That’s not the evidence,” Mr. Biden told reporters as he returned to the White House from an overseas trip.
Mr. Biden’s striking rebuttal was a rare display of public discord between Ukraine and the U.S, which have been unshakable allies since Russia invaded the country in February.
The U.S. and NATO have labeled the incident an unfortunate accident, saying the rocket was a Ukrainian defense missile. Although they say Russia is to blame for the civilian deaths for launching the war in the first place.
Mr. Zelenskyy has insisted that it was not a Ukrainian missile that hit the Polish farmland. On national television Wednesday, he restated his belief that the missile did not come from his country.
He said he had been briefed personally on the matter by the Ukrainian military leadership.
“I have no grounds to doubt them,” Mr. Zelenskyy said.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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