Poland announced on Tuesday December 6 that it would accept on its soil the Patriot missile batteries offered by Germany, which it had previously suggested sending to Ukraine.
Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said on Tuesday he had spoken with his German counterpart and "
accepted with disappointment his decision to refuse to support Ukraine
".
“
Deploying the Patriots to western Ukraine would have increased security for Poles and Ukrainians.
We are therefore making working decisions regarding the placement of the batteries in Poland and their connection to our command system
,” he said on his Twitter account.
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The information was quickly confirmed by the German Defense Ministry.
“
Federal Minister Christine Lambrecht and her Polish colleague had a good discussion about the German offer to deploy German Patriot systems in Poland and agreed in principle
,” a spokesperson said in an email. at AFP.
"
Details such as possible deployment locations and necessary infrastructure are now being discussed at technical level and there are plans to send a reconnaissance team to Poland immediately
," he added.
Reversal of the Polish authorities
On November 21, Germany offered to deploy these modern American-made air defense systems to Poland's eastern border after a Ukrainian missile fell deadly in that region.
Mariusz Blaszczak had initially welcomed this proposal, then changed his mind, suggesting that the Patriots be deployed on the Ukrainian side of the border.
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Germany replied that this solution should be discussed within NATO.
But Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the decision was up to the government in Berlin.
The reversal of the Polish authorities, seen as a diplomatic rejection of Berlin's offer, was criticized by the Polish liberal opposition, which attributed it to the anti-German orientation of the nationalist conservatives in power.
This orientation was illustrated again recently by the words of the leader of the ruling party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who denounced “
German domination
” in Europe.
NATO member countries have already supplied Ukraine with weapons worth billions of dollars to help it fight the Russian invasion, including modern air defense systems.
Germany supplied Kyiv with the medium-range Iris-T system.
But the United States and other NATO allies avoided sending the long-range Patriot system to Ukraine.
This American system is a key element of the alliance's defenses on its eastern flank.
Washington has already deployed Patriot missiles in Poland and Berlin installed them in Slovakia.