German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht confirmed on Thursday that the Patriot anti-air missile systems offered to Poland were meant to be used within NATO territory and therefore couldn't be sent to Ukraine before prior alliance-wide discussions.
Lambrecht's comments come a day after the Polish government proposed Germany sends the rocket launchers intended for Poland to Ukraine instead to bolster its defenses against Russian attacks. "These Patriots are part of NATO's integrated air defense, meaning they are intended to be deployed on NATO territory," Lambrecht countered the proposal made by Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak.
At the time, Blaszczak stressed that transferring these air defense systems to Ukraine would at the same time strengthen NATO's eastern border. The discussions arose following a stray missile hitting a Polish village last week and killing two civilians.
