The German Patriot air defense system will be deployed in Poland

Germany will not hand over Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine, they will be deployed in Poland.

Mariusz Błaszczak, Minister of Defense of Poland, announced this.

“After a conversation with the Head of the German Defense Ministry, I, with disappointment, decided to refuse the transfer of air defense systems to Ukraine,” he wrote.

Błaszczak also emphasized that the deployment of the Patriot air defense system in Ukraine would guarantee the security of both Ukraine and Poland.

Po rozmowie z 🇩🇪MON,z rozczarowaniem przyjąłem decyzję o odrzuceniu wsparcia 🇺🇦. Rozmieszczenie Patriotów na zachodniej 🇺🇦 zwiększyłoby bezpieczeństwo Polaków i Ukraińców. Przystępujemy więc do roboczych ustaleń ws. umieszczenia wyrzutni w 🇵🇱i wpięcia ich w nasz system dowodzenia

— Mariusz Błaszczak (@mblaszczak) December 6, 2022

“Therefore, we are moving on to work on the deployment of air defense systems in Poland and connection to our system,” Błaszczak added.

As previously reported, Germany offered Warsaw its Patriot air defense systems after a missile landed on the territory of Poland during the massive missile attack on Ukraine on November 15.

The Minister of Defense of Poland offered to transfer them to Ukraine. The proposal was treated with caution in Germany.

Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht shared that the possibility of using NATO defense systems outside the territory of member countries, in particular in Ukraine, should be coordinated with other member states of the alliance.

NATO, on its part, declared that each country decides for itself what kind of assistance to provide.

However, the final decision is that the air defense systems will be deployed on the territory of Poland.

Amid talks about the transfer of Patriot systems to Ukraine, this issue was raised in the United States. At the same time, Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder shared with the reporters that the transfer of Patriot air defense systems is not in question and is not on the table.

“We discuss a wide variety of capabilities and support with Ukraine, we regularly consult with Ukraine, we regularly consult with our allies and our partners on what their defense needs are. Right now, we have no plans to provide Patriot battalions to Ukraine, but again, we’ll continue to have those discussions, and when and if there’s something to announce on that front, we will,” he said.

At the same time, strengthening Ukraine’s air defense remains a priority for the US and its allies.