Germany, allies discuss missile defence for Ukraine

Germany says it is discussing with allies Poland’s request that German Patriot air defence units be sent to Ukraine.

Berlin offered Poland the Patriot system to help secure its airspace after a stray missile crashed and killed two people in Poland last week.

Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak later asked Germany to send the fire units to Ukraine instead.

“We are talking with our allies about how to handle Poland’s … suggestion,” a German government spokesperson told reporters in Berlin.

On Friday, the Polish president said it was Germany’s decision where its Patriot air defence units are stationed, adding that it would be better for Poland’s security if they were on Ukrainian territory near the border.

“From a military point of view, it would be best if they were located in Ukraine to also protect Polish territory, then they would protect both Ukraine and Poland most effectively,” Andrzej Duda told a news conference in Kaunas, Lithuania. “But the decision rests with the German side.”

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NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said such deployments should be decisions for individual nations, taking into account rules around final users.

“The specific decisions on specific systems are national decisions,” he told reporters in Brussels.

“Sometimes there are end users agreements and other things so they need to consult with other allies. But at the end of the day, it (the decision) has to be taken by the national governments,” he added.

Stoltenberg’s comments came after German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht on Thursday said sharing Germany’s Patriot units outside NATO territory would require prior discussions with NATO and the allies.

Zainab Sa’id