Despite the needs put forward by the explosion of a Ukrainian missile, the anti -electoric rhetoric of the ruling party has taken over in Poland.
by Jakub Iwaniuk ( Warsaw, correspondent)
The offer was however generous. Following the incident that cost the life of two Polish citizens on November 15 in the village of Przewodow, near the border with Ukraine, after the Ukrainian anti -aircraft defense missed a Russian missile, the Minister of German Defense, Christine Lambrecht, proposed in Warsaw on Sunday, November 20, the provision of two batteries of Patriot missiles. Within NATO, this American production system is considered the “jewel” of anti -aircraft defense.
Monday, Polish Minister of Defense, Mariusz Blaszczak, said that he “accepted [has] with satisfaction” the German proposal. A gesture of solidarity all the better welcomed in military circles that the country’s air defense still largely rests on systems inherited from the Soviet era, and that the vast modernization program of this sector has been late. Two Patriot batteries are being started and should be operational by 2024. The acquisition of six other units, essential for optimal coverage of the territory, is barely in the negotiation phase.
But, at the general amazement, Mr. Blaszczak informed of a turnaround of the Polish position on Wednesday evening on social networks. “Following the new attacks of Russian missiles [in Ukraine], I asked the German part that the Patriot batteries proposed to Poland be transmitted to Ukraine and arranged at its western border. This will allow Ukraine to defend oneself (…) and will increase the security of our eastern border. “A barely veiled way of declineing the offer of Berlin.
unrealistic proposition
The news caused a widespread dismay, even in the corridors of the presidential palace. President Andrzej Duda, however commander of the armed forces, was not consulted. Experts hastened to underline the unrealistic nature of the proposal, because the transmission of such a sensitive arsenal would require the agreement of the American government which has so far refused to give the green light to the delivery of this type armaments. This would also imply an prolonged presence of German soldiers on Ukrainian territory for training and maintenance purposes, which constitutes another red line of the Atlantic Alliance.
“This proposal shows a deep ignorance of agreements within NATO”, underlines General Miroslaw Rozanski, who resigned from the army in 2017 due to profound disagreements with the POS policy, the party in power . “The proposal to send soldiers of the Alliance to a country at war would have required a consultation with the allies.” For the general, this decision “of a political nature” is as “incomprehensible as it is irresponsible”.
You have 44.12% of this article to read. The continuation is reserved for subscribers.