Poland has commented on the transfer of Patriot missiles to Ukraine

Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz commented on reports of an alleged “secret” transfer of missiles for Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine.

The head of the Polish Defense Ministry expressed his position on recent media reports regarding the possible supply of these missiles to Ukraine.

Kosiniak-Kamysz stated that Poland is one of six NATO countries that operate the Patriot air defense system with PAC-3 missiles. 

According to him, at the request of the NATO Secretary General, U.S. European Command, and the Commander of U.S. Combined Forces in Europe, and following consultations with a group of operators, Poland decided to transfer missiles for the Patriot air defense system to Ukraine. 

“The number of missiles transferred represents a negligible portion of our resources and, according to assessments not only by the General Staff but also by the Commander of U.S. and Allied Forces in Europe, does not affect Poland’s air defense capabilities. And in accordance with the principles adopted by the U.S. and NATO, those who provide assistance to Ukraine remain among the countries given priority in the supply of Patriot missiles for their own needs,” explained the Polish Minister of Defense.

Referring to the lack of information regarding this transfer, the Polish defense minister said that the topic had been discussed: information about requests, needs, the Secretary-General’s proposal, and subsequently about the transfer itself. 

“These reports, particularly from intelligence services, began to reach the Presidential Administration and the National Security Bureau over the following weeks,” he said.

Kosiniak-Kamysz emphasized that Ukraine is not Poland’s enemy. 

“Poland’s enemy is Russia. Our allies are in the West. The danger lies in Crimea. Poland must be united on security issues, because if it is fragmented, it will become weaker, and if divided, it will be defenseless,” he added.

He made these remarks during a press conference on Monday, July 6, according to the country’s Ministry of Defense.

Poland has not made a decision regarding the transfer of MiG-29s to Ukraine.

Poland is once again not involved in key negotiations regarding Ukraine, according to TVP World.

As a reminder, the U.S. will provide Poland with a $2 billion loan to purchase weapons: F-35 fighter jets, Patriot air defense missile systems, and Abrams tanks.

Earlier, Poland signed an agreement with the U.S. for the supply of 96 AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters, along with a logistics and training package, for a total of $10 billion.