Polish president urges US to accelerate weapons supplies
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Poland's President calls for US assistance in addressing the Ukrainian refugees crisis, and US Vice President says two batteries of US-made Patriot surface-to-air missile systems have arrived in Poland.
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Polish President Andrzej Duda and US Vice President Kamala Harris
Polish President Andrzej Duda urged US Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday to fast-track the delivery of US weapons to Poland to bolster the country's security, with Harris announcing that two Patriot missile defense systems have already been delivered to Poland.
"We want to boost our security here in Poland also thanks to the purchase of American equipment for our armed forces. They are already ongoing programs," Duda said at a joint briefing following talks with Harris in Warsaw.
The Polish President added that he told Harris "that those programs should be accelerated as far as possible because we want to provide this state-of-the-art equipment to our own forces as soon as possible."
Among the programs already in effect, Duda mentioned the Patriot program, the HIMARS program for M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, and the program for the purchase of F35 fighter jets, as well as the recently started program for the purchase of Abrams tanks.
For her part, Harris confirmed that two batteries of US-made Patriot surface-to-air missile systems have already arrived in Poland.
"Last week, we have directed two Patriot missile defense systems to Poland. And today I can announce that we have delivered those Patriot systems," she announced.
The US Vice President claimed this move will serve as a reminder and demonstration of US commitment to the security of its allies, and in particular Poland, where additional 4,700 US troops have been deployed recently on top of nearly 5,000 military personnel, which are routinely located in the country.
"The United States is prepared to defend every inch of NATO territory... We are here today to restate that commitment, but also to do what we must do to reinforce our support of Poland and our allies," Harris supposed.
Duda has further called for US assistance in addressing the Ukrainian refugees crisis, as the number of refugees in Poland is approaching 1.5 million.
"I asked Madam Vice President for support as it is quite obvious that such a huge refugee crisis is a surprise for Poland," Duda said.
He emphasized that assistance with accommodating Ukrainian refugees is especially vital in the period when prices are growing, especially fuel prices.
