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Germany offered the Patriot missiles to Poland. According to Poland’s President Andrzej Duda, it should be situated in Poland and not, as suggested by the defence minister, given to Ukraine, the presidential aide said on Friday.
Pawel Szrot, Secretary of State and Chief of the Cabinet of the President of the Republic of Poland said Duda believed the Patriots should be used to protect Poland.
“President Duda’s position here is quite clear. If Germany decides to provide access to the Patriot systems it has in its arsenal, then these missiles should defend Polish territory and Polish citizens,”
Szrot said on Polish Radio.
On Sunday, Christine Lambrecht, the German defence minister, offered to transfer some of Germany’s Patriot missile systems to Poland after a stray air-defence missile.
Lambrecht also suggested German Air Force fighters could help patrol Polish airspace.
In response, Mariusz Blaszczak, Poland’s defence minister, said Germany should give the Patriot batteries to Ukraine.
“After further Russian missile attacks, I asked the German side to transfer the Patriot batteries proposed to Poland to Ukraine and deploy them at the western border. This will save Ukraine from further casualties and blackouts and increase security at our eastern border,”
Mariusz Błaszczak wrote on Twitter.
Lambrecht has declined to do so, citing constraints on deploying NATO weaponry in non-NATO countries.
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