There is once again irritation between Germany and Poland. The reason: Berlin is offering anti-aircraft systems to Poland, but Warsaw wants to send them directly to Ukraine. The German ambassador says this is “difficult to understand”. Now NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg is also speaking out.
According to the German ambassador in Warsaw, Poland’s proposal to station the anti-aircraft systems offered by Germany directly in Ukraine is difficult to understand. Germany has few Patriot air defense systems, which makes them extremely valuable, Ambassador Thomas Bagger told the Rzeczpospolita newspaper. “The fact that they were offered to secure Polish airspace is an expression of the great importance that the government in Berlin attaches to Poland.” Therefore, the Polish answer is “difficult to understand”.
Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht from the SPD had also reacted cautiously to Poland’s proposal. The Patriots are part of NATO’s integrated air defense and intended for NATO territory, she said on Thursday. Any use outside of the alliance must be discussed with the Allies.
At the beginning of the week, Lambrecht and Poland’s Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak agreed on joint protection of Polish airspace. Accordingly, the NATO partner should receive anti-aircraft systems of the Patriot type, and the Air Force also wanted to support air surveillance with Eurofighters. But on Wednesday Blaszczak suggested moving to Ukraine. Jaroslow Kaczynski, head of the national-conservative governing party PiS, known for his anti-German tones, had previously voiced this idea.
Bagger now said that the German side had not been informed about this proposal in advance by Warsaw, and that a letter had been received on Twitter at the same time as Blaszczak’s statement. Berlin is now in the process of evaluating the Polish response.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called on the German government to decide for itself whether to deliver the Patriot air defense system to Ukraine. This is a “national decision,” said Stoltenberg in Brussels. He made it clear that he did not consider a debate on the military alliance to be necessary for the time being – and thus rejected Lambrecht’s request.
NATO countries have already delivered air defense systems to Ukraine, said the Secretary General, referring, among other things, to the German IRIS-T SLM system. At the same time, Stoltenberg welcomed the original German offer to use the Patriot system to strengthen Poland’s air defenses after rockets fell there and killed two people.
Stoltenberg further explained that NATO has supplied the Ukrainian armed forces with anti-drone jammers. The so-called jammers are part of a comprehensive support package. This included fuel, medical supplies and winter gear.
In particular, the jammers are intended to help Ukraine fend off attacks with kamikaze drones. The devices are usually electromagnetic transmitters that interfere with the drones’ navigation or communication systems. According to information from Kyiv, the Russian army has been increasingly attacking with kamikaze drones since October. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, mainly Iranian-made aircraft are used.
The Shahed 136 in particular is used. It has a triangular wing and is equipped with a warhead. The drone is usually launched from trucks and crashes towards its target at high speed.
