Poland Changes Course, Will Accept German Patriot Missiles

The Polish defense minister is 'disappointed' Germany won't send the air defense system into Ukraine

On Tuesday, Poland’s defense minister said that the country would accept a German offer to deploy a Patriot air defense missile system on Polish territory, changing course after Warsaw rejected the idea.

Germany made the offer after a Ukrainian air defense missile landed in Polish territory, killing two people. Poland initially said it would accept but then rebuffed the offer by suggesting the Patriots should be sent to Ukraine.

Germany dismissed the idea since they are offering to deploy a Patriot system operated by German troops, so sending it to Ukraine would mean a NATO deployment in the country, risking serious escalation with Russia.

Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak sounded reluctant when accepting the offer on Tuesday, expressing disappointment that it won’t go to Ukraine. “Following a conversation with the German Defense Ministry, I disappointingly accepted the decision to reject support for Ukraine,” he said, according to Bloomberg.

“We are beginning working arrangements on deploying the launchers in Poland and making them part of our command system,” Blaszczak added.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.