Turkish President says he "respects" Russia’s denials over Poland missile incident
David Schmidt
Published Apr 12, 2026
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he respects Russia's denial of involvement in a deadly explosion in Poland, but added that the incident should be investigated.
Two people were killed Tuesday when what Polish authorities said was a "Russian-made missile" landed near the village of Przewodow, about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) west of the Ukrainian border.
Speaking Wednesday at a news conference at the G20 summit in Bali, Erdogan said he “has to respect the declaration made by Russia” that it was not responsible.
“We take seriously Russia's statement that "[it] have nothing to do with this," he said.
“This morning when I met with the German chancellor Mr. [Olaf] Scholz, we have also agreed that further investigation is needed.”
The circumstances surrounding the incident, including who fired the missile and where it was fired from, remain unclear. Both Ukraine and Russia have used Russian-made munitions during the almost nine-month conflict.
Russian denials: Russia's Defense Ministry said reports of Russian missiles landing in Poland were a "deliberate provocation." The Russian mission at the United Nations on Wednesday reiterated that stance and claimed — without offering evidence or specifically naming any parties — that the incident was an attempt to bring NATO directly into the war in Ukraine.
Some background: Erdogan has played a delicate balancing act since the start of Russia's invasion. He has refused to sign up to Western sanctions against Russia and sought to play something of a peacemaker role between Kyiv and Moscow. The Turkish leader also helped broker a deal between Russia and Ukraine to allow the resumption of grain shipments from Ukraine's Black Sea ports.
