Tusk confirmed transfer of five Patriot missiles from Poland to Ukraine
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that Warsaw had supplied Ukraine with five interceptor missiles for the Patriot systems in the spring. According to him, this decision was taken in full coordination with NATO and the US and forms part of a joint initiative by the allies to strengthen Ukraine’s air defence.
According to Censor.NET, "European Truth" reports this, citing the publication Onet.
Over the past few days, Polish government officials have been reluctant to disclose details regarding the number of missiles supplied. Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz merely stated that this aid had not affected the country’s defence capabilities.
Deputy Defence Minister Cezary Tomczyk spoke of "several" missiles, and later clarified that the figure was "between three and nine". Finally, Prime Minister Tusk gave a specific figure.
"Have you noticed the storm it has caused – a completely unnecessary one, to be honest, and in fact quite shocking – over our decision to transfer five missiles to the Patriot system, in full agreement with NATO and the Americans, as we are acting jointly on this matter. These are not exclusively Polish ideas; this is a joint NATO action," said Tusk.
He added that the government currently has no plans to make such donations.
The Polish donation was part of a wider initiative coordinated by the Germans. In March, the media reported that Berlin and its European allies were organising the delivery of around 35 Patriot missiles to Ukraine. Poland provided five missiles, as did Germany. In April, Ukraine’s Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov publicly thanked Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Poland for the missiles provided.
Over the next few years, the Polish Armed Forces are set to receive a further 600 missiles of this type.
What led up to it?
It was previously reported that the government of Poland had released previously classified information regarding military aid to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. The equipment supplied included tanks, MiG-29 aircraft, Mi-24 helicopters and missiles for the Patriot air defence systems.
