The Patriot systems deployed in Poland were deployed by the US Army. Poland is not an operator of such systems, so I cannot transfer them to Ukraine. Poland is also under the threat of Russian attacks, so the country itself needs these systems. This was stated by Polish President Andrzej Duda during a press conference, UNN reports.
"Poland does not currently have Patriot systems. We are just starting to install these systems in Poland. We are not able to transfer anything today, even if we wanted to. Of course, there are Patriot systems deployed in Poland, but these systems were deployed by the US Army. We also have systems deployed by Britain. These are not Patriot systems. These are British systems, they are of a different type. And let me also remind you that of all the countries that are neighbors of Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia, it was in Poland that a Russian missile did damage and came. And it is in Poland that Russian missiles violate our airspace," Duda said.
He added that Poland is in a situation where it is constantly under the threat of a Russian attack.
"That is why they are protecting these systems today. These systems protect the forces that are in our country. Poland is not their operator," Duda added.
The Polish president also noted that during the bilateral meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, they discussed certain stockpiles of missiles that the country has from the Soviet era.
"And we discussed the possibility of transferring them to Ukraine in order to provide air defense for Ukraine. I will talk to my defense minister when I return to Poland," Duda summarized.
Recall
At the Three Seas Summit , President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized the urgent need to strengthen Ukraine's air defense with real actions, not words.