Air defense system: Poland now wants to accept German patriots after all

After much back and forth, the Patriot air defense system is now to be stationed on Polish territory. The opposition sees the credibility of the government in Warsaw as damaged.

According to Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak, Poland will accept an offer from Germany to deploy a Patriot anti-aircraft battery.

The German government made the offer to Warsaw at the end of November, shortly after a rocket hit near the Ukrainian border, killing two Poles. Blaszczak initially accepted the offer “with satisfaction”. However, the leader of the ruling PiS party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, then said that the system should be better stationed in Ukraine. The Minister of Defense and other Polish politicians followed his line.

Germany against action in Ukraine

Blaszczak reiterated on Twitter on Tuesday that he regrets that Germany does not want to use the Patriot system in Ukraine. “I was disappointed with the decision to decline support for Ukraine,” he wrote. “The deployment of the Patriots in western Ukraine would increase the security of Poles and Ukrainians.”

Nonetheless, both sides would proceed with preparations for deploying the missiles in Poland and connecting them to the Polish command system. Germany has said the Patriot system offered to Poland is part of NATO’s integrated air defenses and may only be used on NATO territory.

Opposition criticizes Polish government for swerving

Politicians and observers have criticized the PiS for suggesting that it does not want to adopt the Patriot system. The party has been accused of endangering the country’s security at a time of war in neighboring Ukraine by trying to foment anti-German sentiment.

An opinion poll published this week revealed broad support among the Polish population for the system’s deployment in Poland. Opposition MP Pawel Kowal said the government had done itself a disservice with its recent U-turn. “How can Poland be taken seriously with such a government? We take the Patriots – we don’t take them – we take them…” Kowal wrote on Twitter after Blaszczak’s announcement.