Poland wants to divert pledged German air defenses to Ukraine

WARSAW, Poland — Poland’s Ministry of National Defence has effectively turned down Germany’s offer, for now, to deploy air defense systems along the neighbor’s border with Ukraine.

Officials here initially initially accepted Berlin’s gesture for Patriot launchers following a recent missile strike on Polish soil that killed two men. However, in an unexpected U-turn, Warsaw now suggests that Berlin deliver the systems to Ukraine instead to bolster that country’s defenses against Russia.

“After further missile attacks [by Russia], I have asked the [German] side to transfer and deploy the proposed Patriot batteries along the western border [of Ukraine]. This will allow to protect [Ukraine] from further casualties and blackout and enhance security along our eastern border,” Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak tweeted last week.

Two days earlier, the official said in a tweet he will propose to his German counterpart, Christine Lambrecht, “to deploy this system close to the border with Ukraine”. The initial positive response came shortly after Berlin offered to send the country’s Patriots and Eurofighter Typhoon jets to help safeguard Polish airspace.

For some observers in Poland, Błaszczak’s latest declaration represents a way of rejecting Lambrecht’s offer, as it would involve Germany sending its troops, who are to operate the launchers, to Ukraine amid the nation’s ongoing war with Russia. Berlin has supported Kyiv with weapons and military gear, but, like all other NATO member states, it has also kept its armed forces away from direct involvement in the conflict. Compliance with Poland’s proposal would force Germany to cross that line.

Lambrecht has replied to Błaszczak’s proposal by saying the offered Patriots are part of NATO’s integrated air-defense system, and their potential deployment outside the alliance’s territory would need to be agreed with NATO and its member states.

Meanwhile, the latest development has also exposed differences within the country’s ruling Law and Justice party.

On Nov. 25, Polish President Andrzej Duda, who was re-elected in 2020 with the party’s support, tweeted that if Germany “does not agree to deliver the batteries to Ukraine, then we must accept this defense here” in Poland. Duda’s statement could signal that some decision-makers in Warsaw are willing to reach an understanding with Berlin.

The fatal missile strike occurred in Poland’s southeast on Nov. 15 after Russia launched its largest string of attacks on Ukrainian cities in more than a month. The Polish authorities believe the incident was most likely triggered by Ukraine’s air-defense attempting to intercept a missile fired by Russia’s armed forces.

Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.

波兰华沙——波兰国防部实际上已经拒绝了德国提出的在波兰与乌克兰的边境部署防空系统的提议。

在波兰境内近期发生导弹袭击造成两人死亡后，波兰官员最初接受了柏林提供的“爱国者”导弹发射系统。然而，出人意料的是，华沙方面现在却建议柏林将这些系统交付给乌克兰，以加强该国对抗俄罗斯的防御能力。

波兰国防部长马里乌什·布瓦什恰克上周在推特上发文称：“在俄罗斯再次发动导弹袭击后，我已要求德方将拟建的爱国者导弹系统转移并部署在乌克兰西部边境。这将有助于保护乌克兰免受进一步的人员伤亡和停电，并加强我们东部边境的安全。”

两天前，这位官员在推特上表示，他将向德国外长克里斯蒂娜·兰布雷希特提议“在靠近乌克兰边境的地方部署这套系统”。此前不久，柏林方面提出派遣德国的“爱国者”导弹防御系统和“台风”战斗机协助波兰保卫领空。

波兰的一些观察人士认为，布瓦什恰克的最新声明实际上是对兰布雷希特提议的拒绝，因为该提议意味着德国将在乌克兰与俄罗斯持续交战之际，派遣部队前往乌克兰操作这些发射器。柏林一直向基辅提供武器和军事装备，但与其他所有北约成员国一样，德国也一直避免其武装部队直接卷入冲突。接受波兰的提议将迫使德国越过这条底线。

兰布雷希特回应布瓦什恰克的提议时表示，所提供的“爱国者”导弹是北约一体化防空系统的一部分，其在联盟领土之外的潜在部署需要得到北约及其成员国的同意。

与此同时，最新事态发展也暴露了该国执政的法律与公正党内部的分歧。

11月25日，波兰总统安杰伊·杜达在推特上发文称，如果德国“不同意向乌克兰交付电池，那么我们就必须在波兰本土进行防御”。杜达在2020年凭借党内支持连任。他的这番言论可能表明，华沙的一些决策者愿意与柏林达成谅解。

11月15日，在俄罗斯对乌克兰城市发动一个多月以来最大规模的袭击后，波兰东南部发生了一起致命的导弹袭击事件。波兰当局认为，这起事件很可能是由乌克兰防空部队试图拦截俄罗斯武装部队发射的导弹而引发的。

Jaroslaw Adamowski 是《防务新闻》驻波兰记者。