Poland could accept the Patriot anti-missile systems if Germany does not deliver them to Ukraine, which Berlin had earlier ruled out, said Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
Last week, Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak welcomed the plans by the German government to reinforce NATO’s Eastern flank by sending Patriot batteries to Poland. However, later he unexpectedly suggested that Berlin send the weapons to Ukraine instead, Wprost news outlet reported.
Christine Lambrecht, Błaszczak’s German counterpart, said the systems were a part of NATO integrated air defence, which means they had to be deployed on NATO territory. This rejection caused bad blood between Warsaw and Berlin.
Yet, Morawiecki now said Poland mulls accepting the Patriots if they are not sent to Ukraine. “We are considering such a possibility, but we point out that […] Ukraine is bombed every day,” he told a press briefing, adding that the Polish government would like the weapons from Germany “to best serve to defend the Ukrainian sky.”
Polish media unofficially reported that it was ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party leader Jarosław Kaczyński behind the idea to ask Germany to deliver the Patriots to Ukraine. According to Wprost, Kaczyński did not consult with President Andrzej Duda, the head of state and the supreme commander of the Polish armed forces.
On Monday, Kaczyński accused Germany of trying to avoid confrontation with Russia at the cost of Ukraine’s independence. “Germany’s attitude makes it doubtful that it decides to shoot at the Russian missiles,” he said, as quoted by TOK FM radio.
Germany cannot deploy the Patriot systems to Ukraine, as German soldiers must manage them, explained Marcin Zaborowski from GLOBSEC think tank. “This would mean the direct engagement of the NATO forces into the war against Russia,” he told Wirtualna Polska news outlet.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said last week he welcomed the German offer to reinforce Polish air defence after the tragic incident in Przewodów near the Ukrainian border, where two people were killed by a likely Ukrainian anti-missile rocket.
(Aleksandra Krzysztoszek | EURACTIV.pl)
Source: euractiv.com
