Poland would rather the next Russian missile be downed over Ukraine than over its soil. It may send Kyiv more Patriots
A Russian missile that fell inside Poland in July has shifted Warsaw's thinking.
Poland is weighing whether to send Ukraine additional Patriot interceptor missiles, Deputy Defense Minister Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka announced in a radio interview. The decision must first consider Poland's own security, she explained. Recently, a Russian missile crashed inside Poland on July 30th, prompting Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz to lean toward sending more interceptors.
Sobkowiak-Czarnecka stated that Warsaw would soon make a decision, with the preference being that any downed missile would do so over Ukrainian territory rather than on Polish soil. This is not the first time Poland has transferred Patriot missiles to Ukraine; in the spring, it provided five PAC-3 MSE interceptors to the country.
However, these missiles are scarce, as the United States only produces them at a rate that does not meet NATO's requirements. Ukraine has been requesting these interceptors for months, appealing to nearly 40 countries for assistance after facing large-scale Russian attacks. Poland currently holds around 200 PAC-3 interceptors, which could significantly bolster Ukraine's air defenses against Russian ballistic missiles.
Written by urgent.news from Euromaidan Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.