France urges 'utmost caution' on origin of Poland strike

NUSA DUA, INDONESIA: France urged "utmost caution" Wednesday on the origin of a deadly missile strike on NATO member Poland, saying many countries in the region have similar weapons.

"It's logical that we approach the question with the utmost caution," a French presidency official said.

"Identifying the type of missile won't necessarily identify who is behind it," the official said, warning of the "significant risks of escalation."

"This is a subject where we don't want to make a mistake," the official added. Poland earlier said that a likely Russian-made missile had struck its territory, killing two.

The Polish military was placed on heightened alert after an emergency national security council meeting. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said two Russian missiles hit Poland in what he described as "a very significant escalation."

Russia's defence ministry dismissed reports that it was to blame as a "provocation", claiming it was intended to escalate tensions. Poland is a member of NATO, a military bloc led by the United States under which an attack on one is treated as an attack on all.