Poland has agreed to station several of Germany’s Patriot missile batteries in Poland after Germany offered Poland the system. In order to service the Patriot systems, there is a need for experienced crews, which in this case, means German soldiers accompanying the systems to Poland.
According to Polish Radio, working groups from Germany are already present in Poland preparing the ground for the main forces that will service the Patriot systems. Several hundred German troops are to be stationed in the eastern Lubelskie region. Their location has been agreed upon with the defense ministry and the Polish high command.
The presence of these troops will be regulated by the same procedures that apply in the case of Poland sending its troops to allied countries such as Lithuania and Latvia.
The German offer to station Patriots in Poland came in the aftermath of the Ukrainian missile that exploded in the east of Poland, killing two civilians. The missile was likely fired to intercept a Russian missile, but the incident still served as a source of international tension, with reports initially claiming the missile had come from Russia.
Poland had attempted to persuade Germany to send the Patriots to the west of Ukraine from where they could defend both Ukrainian and Polish territory. Germany, back in December, was not ready for such a step, therefore Poland and Germany agreed that the system would be stationed in Poland.
Finally, after consultation with the U.S., Germany agreed to also send additional Patriot missile batteries to Ukraine.
