MOD chief: we want German patriots to stay in Poland at least by end of the year

Germany dispatched three Patriot air defence units in Poland close to the Ukrainian border in January to prevent stray missile strikes.

Apart from the Patriots, some 300 German soldiers have been based in Zamość, about 50 km (31 miles) from the Ukrainian border, since February to protect the southern town and its crucial railway link to Ukraine.

"What's been recently happening in Russia, which is complete subordination of Belarus, sending the nuclear weapon to Belarus by Russia, but also collecting the Wagner Group on the territory of Belarus, it only shows that the threats are still real," minister Błaszczak said at a joint press conference held in Zamość, southeastern Poland.

"Therefore, following on our conversation in Brussels, I stressed that we are interested in having a Patriot system to remain in Poland at least until the end of this year," he stressed.

Błaszczak added hhe appreciated the presence of Patriot batteries on Polish soil. "Poland plays an important role in supporting Ukraine. All the weapon deliveries to Ukraine go through Poland. We are happy that this system has been expanded because we have America Patriots, we have German Patriots, so we have a system that protects deliveries to Ukraine."

Germany's MOD chief Boris Pistorius did not respond to a Polish request to extend the deployment of three German Patriot air defence units in the town that had been sent there in January, initially for six months.

He did, however, comment on the negotiations regarding the establishment of a Leopard tank maintenance hub in Poland.

"The negotiations which began in Munich are ongoing. They are far advanced but as everyone can imagine, such talks between two industries and two defence ministries – which in this case momentarily take the second row though – are in full swing. The negotiations are intensive, complex and with complex questions. The two of us just agreed in our talks again that solutions must be found now," Pistorius said.

"I believe that time is of the essence now. Germany is ready to take on responsibility either way and that’s why we believe that the talks should be completed within the next ten days, if at all possible so that we know which direction we are heading to," he added.

The German defence minister also stressed "the new security situation forces us to talk about deterrence and defence capabilities again and here, it’s important that Sweden become a NATO member as soon as possible and that Turkey give up its resistance".

Relations between Berlin and the ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party in Warsaw have been strained, with both sides at odds over a range of topics - from arms deliveries to Kyiv to an EU migration deal rejected by Poland.

Poland has been on alert for a possible spillover of the war in neighbouring Ukraine, especially since two people were killed in the region last November by what Warsaw concluded was a stray Ukrainian air defence missile.

As a result, Berlin offered to deploy three of its Patriot units to Poland to help secure its air space.

Germany has also pledged to send Patriot units to Lithuania to protect the July 11-12 NATO summit in Vilnius.