Poland not to send own Patriot system to Ukraine
3 Min Read
The Polish military is in the process of integrating these weapons into its military, according to the Polish prime minister in April.
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Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky stands in front of a Patriot air defense missile system during a visit to a military training area in Germany on June 11, 2024. (AP)
The Polish Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk announced Thursday that Warsaw has not agreed to provide its own Patriot air defense system to Ukraine, but the US battery stationed on Polish soil will be replaced with a foreign system.
In April, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that Poland cannot provide a Patriot system to Ukraine since Warsaw is in the process of integrating these weapons into its military forces.
Responding to a New York Times report that Poland-deployed systems would be sent to Ukraine, Tomczyk wrote on X that "The US battery will be replaced by a battery from another part of the world. Poland has not agreed to hand over the Polish battery. Polish Patriots protect Polish skies and this will not change."
The US has dispatched one Patriot to Ukraine for the time being. In recent weeks, the Netherlands and Germany had stated that they were prepared to deploy the required equipment.
However, Today, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced Germany will not be able to deliver more Patriot missile systems to Ukraine due to its limited capacities.
Speaking ahead of a NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels, Pistorius underlined that his country has given Ukraine a quarter of its Patriot systems.
"Germany has so far delivered two Patriot units to Ukraine and is in the process of delivering a third unit," Pistorius said. "We already provided three systems, which means a quarter of our capacities. So, there is no space to provide even more than those three systems."
The defense minister emphasized Germany's significant contributions, though he suggested that other countries could potentially step in to provide additional support. "We delivered a lot, but others maybe can do more," he added.
Ukraine needs at least seven more Patriot systems
The announcement comes amid repeated calls from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for increased military assistance from Western allies.
Zelensky has particularly urged for more advanced air defense systems – among many other things – such as the Patriot, to bolster Ukraine's defenses against Russia.
The Ukrainian president has indicated that Ukraine needs at least seven more Patriot systems or similar advanced air defense systems to effectively counter Russia.
Although Ukraine is asking for Patriots, they do not possess adequate systems to protect the unit properly, as two US-made Patriot systems were destroyed by a Russian Iskander missile defense system attack in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR).
Large convoy of Ukrainian air defense systems destroyed by what looks like an Iskander.
— ayden (@squatsons) March 9, 2024
The system was originally labeled an S-300 but some sources are claiming Patriot.
Pokrovsk direction.
Update: it looks to be multiple Patriot launchers and a possible radar. pic.twitter.com/YQQwJsc4rf
