German Patriot air defense to deploy in Poland – not Ukraine

“After a conversation with the head of the German Ministry of Defense, I decided to withdraw support from (deploying Patriots to) Ukraine, to my disappointment,” Blaszczak wrote.

Read also: Polish defense minister says he again called on Germany to transfer Patriot systems to Ukraine

He reiterated that deploying Patriot systems in western Ukraine would have served security interests of both Warsaw and Kyiv.

“We have started work on deploying air defense in Poland and connecting it to our system,” the minister added.

Read also: Germany in talks with allies on Poland’s idea to send Patriot systems to Ukraine

Germany offered Poland Patriot systems after a missile crashed in Przewodów near the border with Ukraine during a massive Russian missile attack on the Ukrainian power grid on Nov. 15.

Earlier, Błaszczak appealed to Germany to send Patriot systems to Ukraine, instead.

Read also: NATO to back Ukraine as long as necessary, says Stoltenberg

German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said that Patriot systems are designed to protect NATO airspace, therefore the consent of allied countries is required to transfer them to Ukraine.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that this issue should be resolved by individual countries.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine