Germany said Thursday it had deployed two Patriot air-defense units to Poland to protect a key logistical hub supplying aid and equipment to Ukraine.
They are designed to secure Rzeszow airport in southern Poland, which handles more than 90% of military and humanitarian aid destined for Ukraine.
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“We have deployed two Patriot systems here,” German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said at a news conference in Rzeszow with his Polish counterpart Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz.
“This is to secure Poland and its airspace,” added Kosiniak-Kamysz.
The Patriot units are expected to reach full operational capacity by Monday.
Germany is taking over the defense task from the United States, who the ministers thanked for its “tireless commitment” on the ground.
Berlin will also conduct air policing and in-flight refueling operations in Poland.
Pistorius arrived in Poland from Lithuania, where a German brigade of 5,000 soldiers is stationed.
Germany deployed Patriot-type defense systems to Zamosc, near Poland’s border with Ukraine, from January to November 2023 to protect an important railway hub.
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