This was announced by the German Federal Defence Ministry, which said that the systems, “as part of NATO’s integrated air defence, were making a valuable contribution to protecting the civilian population and our alliance territory on the eastern flank”.
🇩🇪 bietet 🇵🇱 Verlängerung der #Patriot-Stationierung bis Jahresende an. Seit Januar 2023 leisten unsere Patriot-Systeme als Teil der integrierten #NATO-Luftverteidigung einen wertvollen Beitrag zum Schutz der Zivilbevölkerung und unseres Bündnisgebietes an der #Ostflanke. pic.twitter.com/ybqxwcM6Y1
— Verteidigungsministerium (@BMVg_Bundeswehr) August 9, 2023
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius stressed that Germany, in making this offer, was taking into account the security needs of its Polish friends. “We will continue to be at your side as a reliable partner. During my recent visit to Poland, I experienced the close cooperation on the ground between the armed forces – I saw how German-Polish relations have grown as a result of this joint project.”
Since January, the three German Patriot batteries have been deployed in Zamosc in southeastern Poland, near the border with Ukraine, with a view to protecting the country’s airspace.
Originally, the Patriot systems were to be stationed there for a period of six months. At a meeting with Pistorius in early July, however, his Polish counterpart Mariusz Blaszczak had expressed hopes of a longer deployment.
