The German Armed Forces will begin preparations for the transfer of its Patriot anti-aircraft missile system to Poland as of Tuesday, as confirmed by security sources quoted by the German news agency DPA.
Shortly after the agreement between the Warsaw and Berlin governments, a reconnaissance team will travel to Poland with the aim of inspecting suitable positions for the anti-aircraft defense system and will then deploy three military units in that country.
The aim is to protect critical infrastructure on NATO’s eastern flank, a decision that will materialize after Berlin offered these systems to Warsaw following the November impact of a missile on Polish territory, which resulted in two deaths.
However, there were initial disagreements because Poland suggested that it would be better to hand over the weapon systems to Ukraine, even though they are part of NATO’s integrated air defense, of which Kiev is not a member.
Finally, Poland on Wednesday expressed its readiness to accept the Patriot air defense system offered by the German government. Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak explained that he accepted «with disappointment» the German reluctance to place this system on Ukrainian territory.
